Uncle Sam's Misguided Children
by 2remember
Summary: The gang don't know it yet, but XANA's out! Add one mischeiveous Amabassador's daughter, and it's time to call in the Marines!
1. A Night On The Town

Warning: Rated for language, violence and references to adult behavior.

The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Certain abbreviations are used during the course of this story. In order to, hopefully, avoid confusion, they are presented here with an explanation:

MGySgt.: Master Gunnery Sargent

GySGt.: Gunnery Sargent

Cpl.: Corporal

This story begins after the events in 'Yugen No Ma,' and before the events of 'Finding Franz Hopper.'

* * *

"C'mon, Jeremie, you promised," said the pink haired girl to the blond headed boy. 

"But, Aelita, I've got to work a little longer on this! I think I've got a lead on where your father is and..."

"I know, and I want to find him too, but can it wait for a little while?"

Aelita Hopper and Jeremie Belpois were in Jeremie's room. For the last week, Jeremie had been running scans and writing programs to try and find Aelita's father, Franz Hopper, in the maze of the supercomputer that housed the virtual world of Lyoko. He had been working for a month straight, between classes, and had gotten nowhere.

"Jeremie, he may not be in there," she told him with a bit of sadness in her voice.

"Do you want me to stop?" he snapped, "I could, you know. We could go over to the factory, right now, and shut the supercomputer down. We really don't need it any more, now that you're safe and XANA's escaped..."

"Of course I don't want you to stop," Aelita replied, "it's just that I'm worried about you. You've been at it non-stop since summer and you haven't found anything yet."

Jeremie said, "and I did the same thing for years before that, trying to bring you into our world. I can't do anything less for your father, can I?"

"Will burning yourself out bring my father back any faster? I'm not asking you to abandon your work, I'm asking you to take me to the movies. And you did promise."

"Alright, you win. What do you want to go see?"

"I don't know. What do you want to see..."

* * *

It took a while, but they decided to see "The World's Fastest Indian," a film about a New Zealand man trying to set a land speed record with a motorcycle. It was the least objectionable movie the two could find. 

Jeremie asked his other friends, Odd Della Robbia and Ulrich Stern if they and their girlfriends would like to come along with them that evening. Odd said no, he had other plans, and Ulrich said he had already seen the movie with Yumi, his girlfriend, over the weekend. So the couple went on their own.

The first evening show was at 7 pm, so they left Kadic Academy around 6 pm. They made their way into town and found the theater. The sidewalks were full of people bustling about, going to dinner, the movies, or generally running errands. Jeremie did notice something unusual at one point, some guys hanging out around an alley. He had never seen them before, and something struck him as being wrong. They all wore similar clothes, and it looked like they were harassing the passers by. It also looked like they were drinking. He made it a point to steer clear of that area.

They got to the theater fifteen minutes before the movie started, and there was a line at the ticket counter. While they were waiting, Aelita struck up a conversation with another girl waiting with them.

The couple finally got up to the ticket window, and Jeremie paid for their admission. As they entered, Aelita said, "Jeremie, this is Jeanie. She's from America."

"Hi, Jeanie," he said to the girl in English.

"How do you do," she responded in shaky French.

"You can speak English if it's easier for you," Jeremie said, "we won't mind it."

"Thanks," the girl said, visibly relieved, "with my luck I would have probably called you something obscene by accident with my French."

They all laughed.

"What are you seeing tonight," Jeremie then asked.

"Same as you, 'The World's Fastest Indian,'" Jeanie replied, "I've seen it already, but I haven't seen it dubbed in French. I thought it would be an interesting way to practice."

* * *

After the movie, the three stopped at a little café close to the theater for a snack. Jeremie and Aelita told Jeanie about themselves, keeping Lyoko out of the conversation, and Jeanie told the couple about herself. She was the daughter of an 'American Businessman' in Paris doing some work for his company. She was bored with staying a home all the time and decided to sneak out and find out what the natives were like. 

Finally, Jeremie said that it was time for Aelita and him to head back to school. They got up to leave, and Jeanie did too.

"Ah, could I walk with you guys," she asked, "I'm getting a little spooked, and I'd appreciate the company."

"Certainly," Aelita immediately replied, "if you want, you could come back to the school with us, then call your family for a ride home."

"Yeah, that would be great," Jeanie replied.

The three began walking back to Kadic Academy. As they passed an alley, they were suddenly surrounded by the gang Jeremie saw earlier, on the other end of the street. There were six of them, and they had obviously changed location while Jeremie and Aelita were watching the movie.

"Well, fellas, look what we have here!" one of the boys said.

"Looks like a good time to me!" another said.

With that, they grabbed Jeremie, Aelita and Jeanie and pulled them into the alley.

* * *

To Be Continued... 

Please, Read and Review...


	2. Knights In Plain Clothes

Warning: Rated for language, violence and references to adult behavior.

The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.

* * *

The gang dragged Jeremie and girls deep into the alley. Deeper in, four more gang members joined the six. At the far end was a wall, with no escape. They threw the girls up against the wall, then four of them proceeded to beat up Jeremie.

They pounded the genius until he fell to the ground, then proceeded to viciously kick him. Jeremie was a bloody mess by the time they finished, and almost passed out. He could only lay there and watch the scene unfold.

Two of the gang members grabbed Aelita and Jeanie. They first started shoving the girls among them, all the while whooping and whistling and making rude comments about their looks and their dress. Then, one of the boys caught Aelita and tried to force her to drink from a bottle he was holding. She tried her best to fight him, but whatever was in the bottle was spilled down her face and shirt.

Jeanie was faring no better. The thug that had her was trying to kiss her. She tried pushing him away from her, but couldn't. She finally lashed out with a kick that caught him squarely in the groin. He fell over vomiting, and Jeanie sprinted for the street.

She made it about two steps before one of the other gang members grabbed her by the hair and threw her back against the wall.

The one holding Aelita finally gave up on making her drink, and proceeded to tear her shirt off. She screamed and slapped at him, but he just backhanded her, and she staggered back against the wall, next to Jeanie.

"Well, it seems the bitches want to play!" one of the gang said.

"Well, Gerald isn't _up_ for it, that's for sure," one of the others said about the the one Jeanie kicked. The gang laughed at that.

"I'm going to kill that fuckin' cunt after I'm done with her!" 'Gerald' told his friends as he slowly got up.

Jeremie, still lying on the ground, could only watch in horror.

"Well now Gomer, what do we have here?"

The gang turned around at that statement.

"Why I don't know, Sanka. It looks like some quaint native custom or ritual to me."

There were two men standing at the entrance to the alley. They were both about the same height, and looked about the same as far as dress. Their faces were obscured by the shadows of the alley. The way they stood, though, said more about them than their looks.

"You have walked down the wrong alley this evening, Tourists," one of the gang, evidently the leader, shouted to the strangers, "why don't you leave and go see The Louvre, or something nice and safe like that." The others laughed again.

"I don't know," said the first man, 'Gomer,' "we're kind of into new and different experiences. All of that artsy-fartsy stuff just doesn't do it for us."

"Well, you know now, this don't look all that new and different to me," said the second man, 'Sanka,' "it looks to me like a bunch of dickless losers picking on some innocent kids trying to make themselves look like they're tough shit."

"We are tough shit, Tourist," the leader said again," we are The Apaches, and we are the toughest gang in the city! And now, your big mouths have earned you a lesson in why!"

With that, most of the gang began advancing towards the two men, pulling knives, chains and other weapons from their jackets. Two of the gang stayed behind to make sure Jeanie and Aelita didn't move. No one concerned themselves with Jeremie.

As the group advanced, Sanka cocked his head to the side and saw Jeanie.

"Holy shit! It's Miss Wilkerson!" With that both men sprang forward.

The fight didn't last very long.

* * *

Eight of the Apaches, as the called themselves, thought they had easy prey in the two men. The gang found out differently when the men jumped into the middle of them.

Two gang members went down hard, their knees broken. Others tried to slash at them with knives, only to have their arms broken for their trouble. The leader tried to pull a gun on the men, only to get his Adam's Apple crushed for his trouble. He died slowly, gurgling all the time. Sanka, the one who killed the leader, kicked his gun away to make sure no one else could use it.

In a matter of three minutes, the two men had crippled or killed all eight attackers. They then advanced on the two remaining thugs.

Seeing what just happened to their friends, the two grabbed the girls and pulled them in front of themselves as shields. They then pulled knives and put them to the girls' throats.

"You had better back away now, Tourists, or you will watch your girlfriend die!" Gerald, standing behind Jeanie shouted at the men.

By now the two men had drawn guns of their own, as if out of thin air. Both men stood, guns aimed at the thugs, ready to shoot.

"You've got two seconds to drop the knives, step away from the hostages, and get on the ground, motherfuckers, or we will drop you where you stand!"

"You will not shoot!" the one holding Aelita shouted, "you might hit this poor little girl!"

_BANG!_

The thug holding Aelita dropped like a rock. The knife he was holding to her throat nicked her slightly as he died, causing blood to flow down her neck.

"Two seconds, asshole! One!"

"Wait!"

Gerald dropped his knife and stepped away from Jeanie.

"Kneel!"

He complied.

"Cross your ankles together and place your hands on top of your head! Palms Up!"

He did.

Gomer slowly approached the group. He pulled Aelita, then Jeanie away from the last thug, never once taking his aim off of Gerald.

"Now, slowly! Lay down on the ground, and put you hands behind your back, palms up! MOVE!" came the command from Sanka.

Gerald did as he was told. Gomer then approached from behind, holstered his weapon, then knelt down on the thug, putting his knee in the thug's back. His hand flashed, producing a pair of handcuffs, which he put on Gerald.

"Prisoner's secure! Call for backup!"

Sanka, at the head of the alley, lowered his weapon and got out a cell phone.

In the meantime, Jeanie and Aelita had run over to where Jeremie was laying. Aelita picked him up and rested his head in her lap, all the while crying over what had just happened, and what almost happened.

Sanka spoke into his phone, "yes sir, this is Corporal Coffy, Embassy Guard Detail. We have a situation here. Two Marines are involved in an altercation with locals, with shots fired. We need an ambulance and local authorities here, ASAP. My location is..."


	3. The Ambassador's Daughter

Warning: Rated for language, violence and references to adult behavior.

The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.

* * *

The street was ablaze with flashing lights and sirens. As soon as the police arrived, the two men surrendered their weapons and showed them their identification. They were handcuffed and taken off to the side while the EMTs came in to recover the wounded.

Jeremie, Aelita and Jeanie were taken to the back of an ambulance. Jeremie was placed on a stretcher, and and IV inserted into his arm. Aelita only had the one cut and some bruises, Jeanie had the same. After a bit, the police came over and interviewed each of them about the incident. When Jeanie showed the officer her identification, his eyes got wide and he turned and left. As he walked away, he pulled out a cell phone and made a call.

Soon after the police arrived, another car pulled up. Out of it got a man unlike Jeremie had ever seen.

He was a tall man, and he wore a dark blue uniform with a white hat. He walked over to the police officer in charge and started talking to him.

"Uh-Oh, TNT's here. I'm officially in Deep Shit now," Jeanie said.

"Why is that," Aelita asked her, "just who are you, anyway?"

"My name is Jeanie Wilkerson. I'm the daughter of the United States Ambassador to France."

Both Jeremie and Aelita's eyes got wide at her declaration.

After talking with the officer in charge of the scene, the man in the blue uniform walked over to the ambulance where Jeanie and the others were.

He asked, "Miss Wilkerson, would you care to explain why you're here?"

"Mr. Thompson, I'm sorry. I only wanted to get out and see the nightlife, that's all," Jeanie started, but the man interrupted her.

"Well, you certainly did that, didn't you. This is exactly the reason why your father restricted you to the grounds. You've never been overseas before and..."

"But, Master Guns, I was only looking for a little fun..."

"And you got two men dead, eight others crippled, and two of my Marines in deep shit! They'll be lucky if all they get is PNG'd(1) over this."

"Sir, if your two men didn't do what they did, we would probably be dead now," Jeremie said from the stretcher.

"I know that son, but it still puts me in a bind with your government," the man replied.

Just then, the officer in charge walked over to the ambulance. He spoke for a moment with Mr. Thompson, then left.

"Well, at least those two numb nuts are going to be released into my custody. And you, 'Princess'," he said, referring to Jeanie, "are returning with me to the Embassy right now."

"But..."

"No arguments. We have a fine medical staff back there, and your Father wants to have a little word with you."

Jeanie got a _I'm dead meat_ look on her face.

"Move it, young lady."

Jeanie sighed, said goodbye, and left with the man. Their two saviors, freed by the police, joined the two as they got back into the car Mr. Thompson arrived in, and left.

"Wow, I think she's in real trouble," Jeremie said after they left.

"I think we are too. Look." Aelita nodded in the direction of the street.

There, pulling up in his car, was the principal, Mr. Delmas.

"Oh, Crap."

Principal Jean-Pierre Delmas got out of his car and went over to the police to find out what had happened. With him came his daughter, Sissi, and Odd Della Robbia. They went straight to the ambulance.

"What happened to you two! I didn't think even you could screw up a movie date, Einstein," Odd said as they walked up.

"It seems we have a problem with crime in this city, Odd," Jeremie replied.

"Anything, unusual, about it," Sissi asked.

"No, nothing XANA related," Aelita replied, "just a real bad case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time."

By that time, Mr. Delmas came over to the ambulance.

"I have spoken to the police, and they want to take the both of you to the hospital. Jeremie, it looks like you will be staying over night. I will follow you there. Children, let's go."

"Can I ride with them, Daddy?" Sissi asked.

"And I suppose you want to ride in the ambulance too, Mr. Della Robbia," Mr. Delmas said to Odd.

"Of course I do!"

"Well, if the attendants will permit it, fine."

* * *

**Author's Note: **

_(1) PNG, Persona Non Gratis:_ In diplomatic circles, "you are not welcome here any more." Diplomatic personnel declared persona non gratis have their diplomatic immunity stripped, and are permanently expelled from the host country.


	4. At The Hospital

Warning: Rated for language, violence and references to adult behavior.

The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.

* * *

In the Emergency Room, they got the damage assessment. Aelita only had bruises and the one small cut, which was treated by a good cleansing and a bandage. She needed no stitches and would be able to return to school with the principal.

Jeremie was a different story. He had cuts and bruises, but he also had two broken ribs, and the doctors were afraid there might be internal bleeding. He was taken for further tests, and they would be admitting him for the night, at least.

At that news, Jean-Pierre Delmas got on the phone and called Jeremie's parents. They would need to know this, and would need to be here to authorize any further treatment.

All the while, Aelita, Sissi and Odd sat in the Waiting Room, waiting for any word on Jeremie. Now that the crisis had passed and she was safe, Aelita broke down and started shaking and sobbing. Odd and Sissi both held her and comforted her as best they could.

The doctor finally came and told Mr. Delmas the news. Jeremie didn't have any internal bleeding that they could find, and the two broken ribs were the worst of his injuries. They were still going to keep him over night for observation, but more than likely, he would be released tomorrow.

After the doctor left, Aelita babbled, "sir, I'm sorry, we didn't know any of this would happen..."

Mr. Delmas knelt down in front of Aelita, took her hands in hers, and replied, "there's nothing to be sorry about, Aelita. I know it wasn't yours or Jeremie's fault. The police told me everything."

That calmed her, a little. "Can we go see Jeremie now?" she asked.

"Of course."

* * *

When they got to his room, Jeremie was carefully sipping on a cup of water. His face was black and blue from the beating he took, and his lip was split open and swollen. He was no longer hooked up to the IV. When she saw him, Aelita ran over to the bed and grabbed him in a fierce hug. He winced from the pain when she did, but didn't protest.

"You see? Jeremie is safe and comfortable. We should return to the school now," Principal Delmas said.

"Sir, I know this isn't quite proper, but could I stay here with Jeremie tonight?" Aelita asked. She looked as if she was on the verge of crying again.

"Daddy, I'll stay too, if that would help," Sissi piped in.

"Me too," joined Odd.

Jean-Pierre looked at the kids for a moment. He then said, "if the nurses will allow it, we _all_ will stay with Jeremie tonight."

The Duty Nurse had no problems with them staying with Jeremie as long as they didn't disturb the other patients on the floor. Mr. Delmas gave the nurse his word they would be quiet, and she left. A few moments later, she returned with extra pillows and blankets for the group.

Jean-Pierre found an extra chair in the hallway and brought it into Jeremie's room. Odd and Sissi had settled down on a couch in the room, and Aelita had taken the room's chair and pulled it close to Jeremie's bed. She was holding his hand and quietly talking to him. Mr. Delmas closed the door, propped a pillow behind his head, leaned back as best he could in the chair, and fell asleep.

During the night, Jean-Pierre was awakened by the sound of two chainsaws mating. He opened his eyes and looked around, finally settling on Odd as the source of the noise. How such a scrawny kid could make that much noise was beyond him.

He then saw that Sissi had fallen asleep next to him, and had laid her head in his lap.

Mr. Delmas got a hard look in his eyes for a moment. The last person in the world he thought Sissi would ever start a relationship with was Odd Della Robbia. Those two had gone hammer and tongs at each other ever since Odd came to Kadic Academy. But something happened around Sissi's birthday this past summer, and she started going out with him.

Jean-Pierre almost died that Sunday when Sissi ran over to Odd, and he grabbed her like he was afraid she had died or been hurt. The look in the boy's eyes that day was something he had never seen in Odd before, real care and concern. From that moment on, it seemed, they were nearly inseparable.

Seeing them now, Odd sitting sprawled out on the couch, trying to suck his own sinuses down his throat, Sissi laying in his lap, sleeping like a baby, was almost more than Jean-Pierre Delmas could bear. He was Losing His Daughter. He knew this day would come, from the moment he held her in his arms in the hospital those many years ago, but it still hurt.

He turned away from the couch and his pain and to Jeremie's bed.

Sometime during the night, Aelita had crawled into bed with Jeremie. She was laying on top of the covers, curled up in his arms, her head resting on his chest. Every now and then, she would shiver and fuss a little, and then settle down. He sighed and got up, walked over to the bed, and pulled the blanket up from the foot of the bed over Aelita's sleeping form.

God alone knows what her uncle would think, if he saw the scene.

Jean-Pierre Delmas sat back down in his chair and went back to sleep, trying not to think about young love and the passage of time.


	5. Visitors

Warning: Rated for language, violence and references to adult behavior.

The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.

* * *

In Jeremie's dreams, The Demon came for him again.

He was in a room somewhere, hiding behind a desk and Aelita was right behind him.

Then The Demon came.

It burst into the room and spouted fire all around. It then saw Jeremie and Aelita and flung the desk off to one side. With another sweep of its hand, it knocked Jeremie off to the other side and grabbed Aelita by the hair, lifting her off the ground.

It turned to Jeremie, Aelita dangling from its grip, and said, _this is the price you pay for your deeds!_

It then took a knife and slashed Aelita's throat, killing her.

"Aelita!"

Jeremie awoke and sat bolt upright in bed.

* * *

Mr. Delmas woke early the next morning. Odd was still snoring, and Sissi was still asleep on his lap. Jean-Pierre marveled at the way she could sleep through that racket. He walked over and gave both of them a shake. Odd startled awake, and Sissi just opened her eyes and lifted her head up and smiled at him. He glared at both of them, directing the Evil Eye of Death particularly at Odd, then told them both to get cleaned up.

He then went over to Jeremie's bed, and gently awakened Aelita. She opened her eyes, which then grew wide when she realized who had awakened her, and where she was. She blushed, and got out of bed. Mr. Delmas just smiled slightly and cocked his head towards the door. She left to join Sissi and Odd.

As Mr. Delmas was walking to the door to go clean up himself, he heard Jeremie shout _Aelita!_ and sit bolt upright in bed.

"Jeremie! It's alright. Aelita just left to get freshened up," he told the boy, "we all will be back in just a moment."

Jeremie had got his bearings by this time, and nodded his head to the principal. Mr. Delmas then left.

* * *

Breakfast came, along with visitors. As the nurse's aide brought Jeremie's breakfast tray in, his parents entered the room.

"Mom! Dad!"

His parents quickly came to his bedside and hugged him. Mr. Delmas stood up, walked over and greeted the couple, then took Mr. Belpois aside.

Jeremie hugged his mother tightly. The last time he saw her, a few weeks ago, she had been ill. Even now, she was still pale, but seeing her up and about was definitely cheering.

"Mom, you remember Aelita," Jeremie said at last, "and sitting over there are two of my friends, Odd Della Robbia and Sissi Delmas. Sissi is the principal's daughter."

"Hello, Aelita, good to see you again," his mother said, "and nice to meet you Odd, Sissi. Jeremie has said good things about you two."

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Belpois," Sissi replied, "but Jeremie must have been fibbing about me. I really haven't been all that nice to him in the past and..."

"Nonsense, he has written about all of his friends at school, ever since he came there. And he has never once written anything but kind things about you. Mr. Della Robbia, however..."

Sissi gave Jeremie a strange look. She would definitely have to have a talk with Jeremie sometime.

Odd just said, "I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way," quoting Jessica Rabbit.

Mrs. Belpois just smiled and turned to talk with Aelita.

"I'm sorry, mind if we interrupt," came a voice, speaking English, from the hall.

Standing there was Mr. Thompson, the man who came for Jeanie Wilkerson last night. With him were two men, the ones who had saved their lives. Last night, when Jeremie first saw them, the two men had been wearing regular clothes. Today, they wore their uniforms, along with Mr. Thompson.

"Taylor? Taylor Thompson, is that you?"

That came from Jeremie's father.

"Michael Belpois, is that you?" Mr. Thompson replied.

Jeremie's father walked over, shook hands with Mr. Thompson, then gave him a big hug.

"TNT, it's been years!" Mr. Belpois exclaimed.

"Somewhere around twenty," was the reply, "I take it this is your son."

"Yes, it is," Mr. Belpois replied. He escorted Mr. Thompson over to the bed and introduced him to Jeremie, "this is Taylor Nathan Thompson. He is an old friend of mine. Taylor, this is my son, Jeremie."

"We sorta met last night, dad," Jeremie said.

"Yes we did," Mr. Thompson said also. He extended his hand, "Master Gunnery Sargent Taylor Nathan Thompson, USMC. I'm pleased to meet you."

He went on, "I just dropped by this morning to see how you two were doing. Miss Wilkerson harangued us all the way back to the Embassy about finding out if you were okay. She made me swear on my honor to find out and let her know."

"Additionally, these two," Mr. Thompson said, indicating the two men with him, "wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Corporal Bill Pyle, most folks call me 'Gomer,'" said the one man, 'Gomer' from last night.

"Corporal Mike Coffy, folks call me 'Sanka,'" said the other man.

"Thank you for what you did last night," Aelita piped in, "I hope you didn't get into any trouble over us."

"Not to worry, ma'am," Cpl. Coffy replied, "the French Government decided that it didn't appreciate a foreign diplomat getting messed up on French soil."

"Although, they did receive a 'counseling session' from myself and General Maxwell last night," Mr. Thompson added. The two men winced at that remark.

"Well, I appreciate what they did," Jeremie said.

"Thanks," was all the two men could say in reply, then turned to go.

"You take care of yourself and that young lady now, son," Mr. Thompson said, and they left.

Before he left though, Mr. Thompson stopped, shook Jeremie's father's hand again, and gave him a card, telling him to call sometime so they could catch up.

Jeremie's father came back over to the bed.

"Mr. Delmas told me that the doctor's have released you. You can go at any time. Your mother and I stopped at the school and got fresh clothes for you, so get dressed and we'll go."

Mr. Delmas was shooing Odd, Sissi and Aelita out of the room while his father told him that. His mother left with them, shutting the door.

"Jeremie, do you want to tell me what happened last night?"

"We went to see a movie last night, dad. There we met Jeanie Wilkerson, the Ambassador's daughter, though we didn't know it at the time. We saw the movie together, then had a snack at a café and walked home. We got jumped by a gang, dragged into an alley, and I got beat up. They were getting ready to rape the girls when those two Marines showed up, saw Jeanie, and mopped up the alley with them."

"I would have to say that God's Angels were looking after you and Aelita last night then," his father said.

"I just wish I could have _done_ something. I just lay there like a sack of trash watching my girlfriend and another girl almost get raped, and I couldn't lift a finger to help." Jeremie lowered his head.

His father put his hand on Jeremie's shoulder, "there was nothing you could have done, son. There were ten of them and only one of you. There is nothing to be ashamed or upset about."

"There were only two Marines, and look at what they did," Jeremie replied.

"Yes, there were two of them, United States Marines. Soldiers, trained to fight, trained to kill if necessary. They were also armed, were they not?"

"Yes, they were."

"Then, they had eighteen or nineteen friends each with them. That changed the odds greatly in their favor. There was nothing that you could have done, Jeremie. Just be thankful that they came."

"I could have at least tried," Jeremie said.

* * *

Could Jeremie have tried? To Be Continued...

Please Review and Discuss...


	6. A Program

Warning: Rated for language, violence and references to adult behavior.

The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.

* * *

Aelita, Jeremie and his father stood in front of a large building downtown. It was an old building, hundreds of years old. At the entrance stood two menu dressed in blue uniforms and wearing white hats, just as Mr. Thompson had the night of the attack. Above the doorway waived the flag of the United States of America.

"Here we are now, let's go inside," his father said.

Inside, there was another Marine sitting at a small reception table. They walked up to him and his father said he was looking for Master Gunnery Sargent Thompson, that they had an appointment.

The weeks leading up to this visit were a trial for Jeremie. Even though his physical wounds healed very quickly, the mental and emotional wounds were still open.

He still blamed himself for not being able to do anything to help the girls that night. In his mind, he knew his father was right, that there wasn't anything he could have done, but there was a small voice deep within Jeremie crying _I could have at least tried!_

In some ways, Aelita was even worse. Since the attack, she was afraid to be around anyone other than Jeremie, Sissi or Odd. The first time Ulrich Stern came up to her after the attack, she screamed and was five steps away before she realized what she did. When Jeremie was around, she would not leave his side. She would always touch him, or hold his hand, like he would disappear if she didn't.

The school psychologist was talking to both Aelita and Jeremie, almost on a daily basis, but so far hadn't been of any help.

Jeremie had also spent the time talking with his father. It seemed like they talked round and round the problem, Jeremie telling his father about his guilt, his father telling him there was nothing Jeremie could have done, Jeremie replying _I could have at least tried._

Finally, Mr. Belpois made a decision. And this day, he, Jeremie, and Aelita had come to the United States Embassy in search of an answer.

A Marine took the group to an elevator, which took them a few floors up in the building. They were then led down a long hallway to an office. On the one of double doors was a nameplate, MGySgt. Thompson. The soldier opened the door and led them in.

"People here to see Master Guns, ma'am," he told the civilian receptionist. He then nodded to the group and took his leave.

"The Master Gunnery Sargent is in conference at the moment," she told Jeremie's father, "I'll let him know that you are here. It shouldn't take too long."

Jeremie and Aelita had settled into waiting chairs as Mr. Belpois dealt with the secretary. Aelita just sat looking at Jeremie, her hand on his arm. Jeremie sat and looked around the office.

The reception area was probably more ornate that Principal Delmas' office back at school. The millwork around the walls looked like the original French work, carefully restored to brilliance. There were fine paintings on the walls, as well as photographs, one being a photograph of the current American President.

The receptionist's phone rang, and she answered it. After talking with the person on the other end, she hung up and stood up.

"Master Gunnery Sargent Thompson will see you now," she said, escorting them to the door of Mr. Thompson's office.

As she opened the door, Mr. Thompson was walking around his desk to greet his visitors.

"Mike! Good to see you again! And how are you, Jeremie? Ms. Hopper, good to meet you again," he said, shaking each of their hands. Aelita did not shrink or back away from Mr. Thompson when he took her hand.

"C'mon in and sit. We can at least be comfortable while we chew the fat."

They were led, not to the desk, but over to a set of couches. Mr. Thompson showed Jeremie and Aelita seats on one couch, Mr. Belpois another, then took a seat for himself.

Jeremie didn't notice it until they sat down, but there were three other people in the room. Two he recognized at the two Marines, Sanka and Gomer. The other one was probably the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, other than Aelita.

She was about as tall as Sanka and Gomer were. She had the reddest hair he had ever seen, and it didn't look like it came out of a bottle. She was what he had heard called 'stacked,' meaning that she wasn't a straight up-and-down beanpole shape, nor was she dumpy or frumpy. She looked perfectly proportioned , almost like she stepped out of one of the paintings in the next room. She, like Mr. Thompson and the other two men, was wearing a uniform.

"You all know Cpl. Coffy and Cpl. Pyle. And this is Gunnery Sargent Ann Grace. She's my right hand man 'round here."

They all nodded in greeting, then Mr. Thompson continued, "Jeremie, Aelita, do you know why you are here?"

"We were hoping you could tell us that. Dad believes that you can help us somehow," Jeremie replied. Aelita just nodded in agreement.

"I hope I can. What I want to do right now is have a private chat with you, Jeremie. I'd also like Aelita to speak with Gunny Grace for a while, if that would be alright."

Aelita got a panicked look on her face, "could I just stay here with..."

GySgt. Grace spoke up, "you don't have to worry, Aelita. Nothing is going to happen to either you or Jeremie. Right now you are probably in the safest place on earth."

"There's also someone else who wants to see you," Mr. Thompson then said, "Miss Wilkerson has been after me all week about seeing you two. Damned if I know how she found out, but she won't stop harassing me until she has. So you can go visit her after you're done with Gunny Grace, Aelita."

Aelita's eyes brightened at the prospect of seeing Jeanie again, "okay then, let's go."

Ms. Grace said, "good, and just so you'll have a familiar and friendly, if not ugly, face in the room with you, Cpl. Pyle will be joining us, if that would be okay."

Aelita nodded her assent. Then she, GySgt. Grace and Cpl. Pyle left the room.

Mr. Belpois then said, "I think I can leave you two alone for a while. Tay, give me a call when you're wrapped up here. If you and your men are off duty then, I'll buy the first round."

"It's a deal, Mike."

With that, Mr. Belpois got up, mussed Jeremie's hair, and left. Jeremie was now alone with MGySgt. Thompson and Cpl. Coffy.

Sanka walked over and sat down with them. MGySgt. Thompson spoke first.

"Your father has been telling me about the last couple of weeks. Somehow, he tells me, you've got the wild notion in your head that you could have done something in that alley that night."

"I guess we'll never know, now," Jeremie replied.

"Tell me, son, what could you have done?"

"I don't know, something!"

"Cpl. Coffy, what were you thinking when you walked down that alley?" Thompson asked Sanka.

"Well first, Gomer looked down the alley and saw these ass... I mean gang members stomping on the kid," Coffy said, nodding at Jeremie, "well, you know how we are, Master Guns, we went in and took a look. Then one of the ba... persons started mouthing off at us. Then I saw Miss Wilkerson at the end of the alley in a bad way. I nodded at Gomer, and we jumped."

"What made you think you could take this gang on?" Mr. Thompson asked next.

"Well, they were all bunched up. You know, if you want to take on a couple of unknown assailants, you need to spread out a bit, to make it harder for them to take two guys out at once. These guys didn't, and we were on them like stink on shit, uh, pardon my language, son."

"And what about the two that held the girls?"

"Aw, Master Gunny, they were idiots! The way they were standing, even Major Everett could have hit them, meaning no disrespect to the Major."

"Jeremie, did you notice any difference between your answer and Cpl. Coffy's, aside from the colorful adjectives?"

"Yes, sir," Jeremie replied, "he knew what he was going to do when he went in."

"Well, that's not entirely true," Sanka began, but MGySgt. Thompson stopped him.

"No, Sanka, he's right. Jeremie said he should have done 'something.' You assessed the situation, matched it up with the training and experience that you had, then executed it."

"Jeremie, there was truly nothing you could have done that night. You didn't have the knowledge within you to do anything. Now, there's nothing wrong with that, but it's the truth nonetheless."

"What I want to know is, Jeremie, do you want to change that?"

Jeremie looked at the two men for a moment.

"Yes sir, I do."

"Alright, here's the deal. I'll help you out. Marines are some of the finest hand-to-hand fighters in the world, and we've been turning young men with less knowledge and skill than you have into men like Cpl. Coffy and Cpl. Pyle for years. Now, it will be hard, maybe harder than anything you've ever been through, but if you're willing to gut it out, I think you'll find what you're looking for."

"What about Aelita, sir," Jeremie then asked.

"Gunny Grace is basically making the same offer to her. Though, in her case, I think it's more so she can protect you, rather than protecting herself," Thompson replied.

"What do I need to do, then, sir?"

"First off, stop calling me 'sir,' I happen to work for a living. It's 'Master Gunnery Sargent,' 'Master Guns' or 'Master Gunny' from here on out."

"Second off, I'll need a phone number so that I can reach you. We will have to coordinate our schedules to get together, and one of us may not always be able to make it."

"Another thing I'll have to do is talk to your principal. He needs to know that we're not a bunch of perverts coming around making trouble for his kids. And I may also want to use some of your school's facilities in our program. Also, I will be making sure that your classwork does not suffer because of our little sessions. If I feel that my help is adversely affecting your grades, we're done, full stop, period."

"One last thing. Your father tells me that you aren't the most physically active person in the world. You spend an inordinate amount of time on your computer. That will definitely have to change, at least in the short term. I've also heard that you have a tendency to stay up all night, and don't get much in the way of rest. That will change. You are hurting yourself and potentially others doing that. Lack of rest probably got more people killed than enemy action. Fortunately, what I have in mind should automatically solve that little problem."

"Anytime you want to quit, all you have to do is tell me, and we're done, is that understood?"

"Yes, Master Guns," Jeremie replied.

"Good," MGySgt. Thompson replied. He took a quick look at his watch and said, "now I think that there are some ladies waiting for us to join them. We had best not disappoint them. Cpl. Coffy, dismissed."

"Aye-aye, Master Guns," Coffy said, and left.

* * *

Master Gunnery Sargent Thompson was right, Jeremie thought later on, staying up all night was out of the question. After the first session, Jeremie ached in places he never knew could ache. Not that the Master Guns was hard or brutal on Aelita and him, but he put them through a workout that Jim Moralés, their PE teacher, had never done.

It started out simply enough. At their first session, MGySgt. Thompson and GySgt. Grace took Aelita and Jeremie for a walk. They met outside of their dorm building and started walking, striking up a conversation as they did.

They all walked about the campus, talking about this and that. Then they got to the track and MGySgt. Thompson started jogging, all the while talking. Jeremie of course started jogging too, just to keep up his end of the conversation. Every now and then, Thompson would speed up a little bit, and Jeremie would speed up too. When Thompson was going too fast for Jeremie to keep up, he slowed down. All the while, he talked.

Quickly, Jeremie got too winded to keep his end of the conversation up. MGySgt. Thompson then slowed to a walk, and they walked silently for a ways. Jeremie would then catch his breath, and the Master Guns would start talking again. And they would walk and talk around the track. Then they were jogging again.

Aelita and GySgt. Grace were doing the same thing. Jeremie noticed Aelita talking with the woman, even laughing sometimes. Then, they too would start jogging, all the time keeping the conversation going.

They finished their session in front of the dorm building where they started. Jeremie and Aelita were both soaked in sweat, even though it was autumn. The Master Guns and Gunny Grace looked like they did when they arrived.

"Well kids, I think that'll do it for today. If it's okay with you, we'll meet again in a couple of days. I want to work you two up slowly before we start getting into the hard stuff."

With that, they left.

After that first few days, the activity got a little harder. They ran more and walked less. Master Gunnery Sargent Thompson didn't quite slow down as often as he did on the first day.

And Jeremie wasn't quite as exhausted or sore as the first day.

Soon after that, their instructors changed their focus. GySgt. Grace said that now they had a feel for the kids' stamina, and had gotten them a little conditioned, they could actually start some basic self-defense.

What MGySgt. Thompson and GySgt. Grace started teaching were what they called "the basics," how to block a blow, how to punch, and most importantly, how to get away. MGySgt. Thompson put it this way, "ninety-nine times out of one hundred your best bet is to get the Hell Out Of Dodge. You don't have anything to prove to a punk on the street."

"Then why learn anything else?" Aelita asked.

"Because of that one time in one hundred that you can't run and have to stand your ground," GySgt. Grace replied.

Both Jeremie and Aelita were tripped, punched, oh so carefully, and kicked. But in return, they got to punch, kick and trip right back. As Jeremie learned, he started feeling just a little more confident than he had.

Another thing he noticed was that Aelita wasn't clinging to him as much as she was before they started this. She also didn't seem as fearful, like she wasn't waiting for the bogey men to jump out of the shadows and take her.

Another thing he noticed. He liked snuggling with her in the park after they were done.


	7. Dance The Night Away

Warning: Rated for language, violence and references to adult behavior.

The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.

* * *

Jeremie sighed as Aelita kissed his neck, under and behind his ear. The scent of her enveloped him and threatened to drown him. 

He wasn't just sitting idle. His hands caressed her wherever he could, her arms, her sides, her chest, her thighs. Each stroke just urged her on in her ministrations.

He then felt his inner demon stir. It was time to cool down.

Ever since his nightmare at the beginning of the summer, Jeremie had a demon inside him. Well, that wasn't actually true, the demon had been defeated and cast out. But it left Jeremie a little parting gift, an echo of itself that would awake whenever his passions arose. And when it did, Jeremie would remember his nightmares again, of raping and ripping Aelita to shreds, then eating her alive. That echo would chuckle in anticipation of its revenge.

He gently pushed Aelita away from him, kissing her deeply on the lips before parting. She moaned a whining little moan of disappointment, and tried to renew their kiss, but he just hugged her close, then released her.

As their breathing returned to normal, she laid her head on his shoulder. They had been sitting on a park bench, near the school but tucked away out of sight. They sat and looked out on the evening.

"Jeremie, you never gave me an answer," she finally said.

"I really don't think so, 'Lita," he replied, "with the Master Guns working our behinds off, I don't think I'd really be up for the Dance."

The Dance he was referring to was the Autumn Harvest Dance, that Saturday night.

"You know that we won't be training on Saturday," Aelita chided him, "I think you're secretly seeing someone else, and that you'll be meeting her while I'm DJ'ing the dance."

Jeremie smiled, "you know that you're the only one for me. No one can take your place."

"My place will be at the Dance this Saturday," she said, stroking his thigh, "please, be there with me."

"Okay," he said at last, and got as his reward a very passionate kiss from her.

* * *

"Hi, Jeremie! Ulrich!" 

Yumi Ishiyama ran up to the two boys as they were coming from the dorms to the gym for the dance. Jeremie was amazed that she could even run in those heels, and that dress she was wearing was just on the proper side of too short. She was out to impress tonight, and she succeeded.

"Wow, Yumi, you look great!" Ulrich exclaimed. Yumi blushed as she smiled.

"So, Jeremie, where's Aelita?" she asked.

"She's already inside. She had to get in early to make sure everything was set up for the dance. I was helping her out up to an hour ago. I was walking back after showering and changing when I ran into Ulrich on his way."

"What about Odd?" she asked.

"Odd's still waiting on Sissi," Ulrich said, "she's been getting ready for about three hours now. She could have built a new body in the time she's taking!"

"I guess old habits die hard," Jeremie observed.

"I don't know about that," Yumi said, "I spent about three hours getting ready for tonight. Do you think the time was well spent?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" both of the boys said.

Once in the gym, Ulrich and Yumi went out on the dance floor and started dancing. Jeremie made his way over to the punch bowl, his usual location at a dance. Getting himself a drink, he stepped out of the way of the other guests and looked up at the stage.

Aelita was lost in her music. Jeremie had to admit that she had a gift for mixing. She almost seemed to merge with the crowd, sensing its mood, building the excitement to a pitch, then mellowing it out, then bringing it back again. He had seen her do this several times now, and it was fascinating. He enjoyed the feeling of his body wanting to dance to the rhythm she was putting out.

His only problem was he couldn't dance to save his soul.

That was the reason why he hardly went to these things. Their first real fight was because he wouldn't go to a dance with her. He told her that DJ'ing was stupid, but he was lying to her. What was stupid was how he felt whenever he tried to dance. The dances kids did these days were dumb to begin with, seemingly aimless jumping on the dance floor. And with the older dance steps, he just felt so uncoordinated. So he would go to the dances when she asked him to, and he would stand or sit with the other social wallflowers, and watch Aelita work her magic.

About a half hour into the dance, Jeremie was distracted by a familiar face in the crowd. He looked around and locked on to the distraction.

It was Jeanie Wilkerson, the U.S. Ambassador's daughter. She was standing not six feet away from him, talking with Herve Pichon, of all people! They spoke a few seconds more, then she took his hand and led him out on the dance floor and started dancing.

Jeremie was extremely tempted to run out and find a thermometer, because surely Hell had just frozen over.

He watched Herve and Jeanie dancing. She was having a wonderful time, and Herve was going through a life-changing experience. When she first pulled him out onto the floor, he had this look on his face of, "what's the catch." For about a minute and a half he was waiting for the other shoe to drop, because surely this was some kind of sick joke at his expense. When that moment never came, his face changed. He actually loosened up and smiled. And even better, when he smiled, Jeanie smiled back at him!

Jeremie thought to himself, _I guess it is true, every dog does have his day._ He then mentally smacked himself for that thought, remembering that it wasn't all that long ago when _he_ was in Herve's position.

Jeremie started scanning the room again, taking in the scene. Odd and Sissi had finally arrived, and from what he could see, Sissi's prep time had been worth it. It was still strange, even after all these months, that Sissi Delmas could still look the same as she always had in the past, but yet look so different. It was almost like when she found Odd, she found the other part of herself, one she never knew was missing.

Jeremie glanced back at Herve and Jeanie to see what, if any, reaction Herve would have seeing Sissi. Herve never even looked her way. Jeremie just smiled and went back to people watching.

The next thing that caught his eye was the four adults that walked into the gym. One of them went over and spoke with Principal Delmas for a moment, while the other three fanned out around the perimeter of the dance floor.

It was MGySgt. Thompson, GySgt. Grace, Cpl. Coffy, and Cpl. Pyle. Jeremie could easily solve this equation; Jeanie Wilkerson had slipped out again.

He worked his way onto the dance floor to Jeanie and Herve. He found them just as the song finished, and everybody applauded. He tapped Jeanie on the shoulder.

"Jeanie, fancy meeting you here tonight," he started.

She turned to him, "oh, hi, Jeremie..."

"Wait a minute, Belpois! What's going on here?" Herve asked, anger and fear rising in his voice.

"Don't worry, Herve. I'm not here to horn in, it's just I wanted to say hi to Jeanie and let her know that her 'guardian angels' are here. You two have a good time together." With that Jeremie left.

Jeanie's eyes got wide when he said 'guardian angels,' and looked around the room, quickly spotting Grace and the others. After a moment, she decided that she wasn't quite dead yet, so she went back to dancing with Herve, much to his delight.

Jeremie retreated back to the punch bowl, only to be joined by Master Gunnery Sargent Thompson.

"She does know how to have a good time," MGySgt. Thompson said to Jeremie, "You'd think we were in the Ballroom back at the Embassy."

"You're not going to drag her out now, are you?" Jeremie asked him.

"No, we've got good coverage here, and I doubt there's a terrorist in the bunch," he replied, "still, that girl gives her old man the fits every time she pulls a stunt like this. I've heard that she was just as bad back at her boarding school in the States."

He then asked, "why aren't you out there cutting a little rug?"

"Aelita's the DJ tonight. I've got no date until she's done."

"She's not going to be spinning those records all night, is she? She's got to take a break sometime."

"Yeah, and we'll probably just sit and talk."

"Why not dance and talk?"

"Because I can't."

"Can't what? You're not so uncoordinated that you can't dance and talk at the same time, I've seen you move."

"Yeah, but I can't dance."

"Jeremie, everybody can dance, if they can walk. At least you can shuffle your feet and grab her butt until you learn how."

Jeremie blushed at Thompson's comment. The Master Guns smiled then looked up and signaled to someone off in the crowd. Seconds later, GySgt. Grace walked over.

"Amazing, would you take this young man out into the hall and teach him to dance?"

"No offense, Master Guns, but what these kids are doing isn't dancing," she told him, "if it wasn't for the fact we're in a friendly nation, I'd swear that the Geneva Conventions prohibiting torture were being violated."

"Ann, just take him out in the hall and help him. I'll see what I can do about the music."

"Okay. C'mon, Jeremie," she said, leading him out of the room.

Out in the hall, they found a fairly clear spot. She then turned to face him, took his left hand in her right, and placed his right hand on her waist with her left, before placing it on his shoulder.

"Okay, this is how you generally start out. Like martial arts, you could spend years learning different dance steps, but what we're going to do is teach you how not to step on your partner's toes."

She then started guiding him. He stumbled a lot at first, and so did she when he got his foot tangled in hers. But finally, he got enough down so he wouldn't trip himself or trap her.

"Well, it ain't Fred Astaire, but it's a start. Let's see what the Master Guns has done."

They walked back in just as the Principal was making an announcement.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this will be the last dance of the evening. Afterwards, I want everyone to file out quickly, so the Cleanup Committee can clean up. I hope everyone had a good time, and thank you for coming."

Aelita then did something on her mixing board, and music started playing. Satisfied that everything was okay, she walked away from the set, down the steps and onto the dance floor, joining MGySgt. Thompson.

The two couples met at the center of the floor. The MGySgt. Thompson looked and said, "a part of me likes the sense of proportion this arrangement has, but I think we'll just switch thing around a little bit."

With that, he guided Aelita into Jeremie's arms, then taking GySgt. Grace into his. Both couples then started dancing.

The music wasn't the techno-pop that was playing for almost all of the evening. Instead of synthesizers playing, a piano was playing a slow melody. After a moment, a voice started singing:

"_As time goes by, I realize, just what you mean, to me..."(1)_

Jeremie found the beat of the music easy to sway to, GySgt. Grace's quick lesson seemed to perfectly prepare him. He pulled Aelita closer and danced.

On the other side of the room, Corporals Coffy and Pyle were alternately watching the crowd and Jeanie Wilkerson. If she somehow skipped out on them now, the General was going to have _all_ their guts for garters!

"Sanka, Eyes Right!" Cpl. Pyle suddenly called out.

Coffy glanced in the direction Gomer had just turned from and saw why he did.

Amazing Grace and TNT were dancing together. Coffy quickly turned away.

It was probably one of the lesser known secrets going around the Detail, but some people knew that Master Gunnery Sargent Thompson had a, well, special place in his heart for Gunnery Sargent Grace. They were always professional in their conduct, both on duty and off, most of the time. But there were times, like tonight, evidently, that they slipped up and skated dangerously close to the Fraternization Regs.

If it got out that those two were together, it would probably cost MGySgt. Thompson his career. With a charge of Improper Fraternization, the senior noncom or officer in a relationship was held to the higher standard and therefore responsible.

So, most of the men turned away whenever Thompson and Grace forgot who and what they were, so there wouldn't be any potential witnesses for a Court Marshal to question. Of course, the two probably wouldn't have even considered this if anyone other than Coffy and Pyle were with them.

So, two couples swayed to the music, for a time forgetting their problems or fears. One couple was drinking in the wine of Young Love in all of its glory. The other was sipping the bitter draft of What Can Never Be.

* * *

After the dance concluded, MGySgt. Thompson and crew rounded up the wayward Ambassador's daughter and left, but not before she kissed Herve and told him to call her. He asked how could he do that, and she said to ask Aelita, that she had her number. 

Herve thought that this was where the joke would come in, but he still asked Aelita for Jeanie's phone number. He was surprised, but still a little wary, when Aelita immediately wrote Jeanie's number down on a slip of paper and gave it to him. He looked at her and Jeremie strangely, as if he were seeing them for the first time, thanked Aelita and left. As he walked away, he pulled out his cell phone and started dialing.

They also saw Odd and Sissi, who just waived at them as they rushed out. Yumi and Ulrich were no where to be found, so Jeremie and Aelita decided to take a stroll around the campus.

The autumn evening was cool, cool enough for a jacket or sweater, which neither one had. So they held each other close and let the other's body heat keep them warm as they walked.

The cool night air finally drove the couple indoors. Jeremie escorted Aelita back to her dorm room. When they got there, Aelita was about to open the door when she stopped. Both of them could hear muffled noises coming from inside the room.

Sissi was inside, softly moaning.

Aelita almost tried unlocking the door and barging in, thinking Sissi was ill, but Jeremie stopped her.

He whispered, "I don't think Odd would appreciate it if we barged in."

Aelita's eyes went wide, and her mouth formed a silent _oh!_

The two quietly walked away from Aelita's room.

"What are we going to do now?" she asked him once they were well away from the door.

"Well, we could go down and hang with Ulrich, but I'm willing to bet that he is similarly occupied with Yumi," Jeremie replied.

"We _could_ go back to your room and occupy ourselves," she suggested coyly.

"I'm not quite ready to be that adventurous, 'Lita. But I do have an idea, though."

"What?"

He told her, and she smiled and nodded yes. They left the dorm building and went to the old factory, where the supercomputer was hidden.

* * *

Jeanie Wilkerson did indeed get into trouble when she got back to the Embassy. After sending her to bed, Ambassador Wilkerson told MGySgt. Thompson to find out how she was getting out and fix it. He was already working on that, he replied. Sanka and Gomer had just about figured out how she did it. 

Ulrich and Yumi did spent the night together. Yumi had told her parents that she would be spending the night with Sissi and Aelita after the dance was over. Her mother gave her a _yeah right_ look, but let her go. Yumi managed to wake up early enough in the morning to sneak out of Ulrich's room and back to Sissi's. There, she met Odd sneaking out of Sissi's room just as she was trying to figure out how she was going to get in. They both got embarrassed smiles on their faces as they passed one another.

Jeremie and Aelita passed their night dancing on air, literally. They made their way to the factory, and started working on the computer there.

The first thing they did was to disable the three minute timer in the Carthage sector of Lyoko. They programed the space to their needs, then Jeremie transferred Aelita in.

Aelita went first, so she could get to the interface panel just outside of the Carthage arena. There, she virtualized Jeremie directly into Carthage.

Jeremie had never been there before. He had only been to Lyoko three times total, and none of them were pleasant memories.

But this time was different. XANA was gone, and there were none of his monsters here to trouble them. The only thing here was each other.

By the time Jeremie got to the arena, Aelita had completed the configuration. Walking over, he had told her about a scene in a movie he saw once. A man and woman were dancing together in space, weightless. That was what he wanted to do with Aelita tonight.

When he entered the Carthage arena, she was waiting for him on the other side. The music started, and they leapt. They met in the middle and twirled around in space, free of the constraints of gravity. Aelita had configured the arena for zero gravity in the center, with a steadily increasing pull beyond the middle, so they wouldn't get stuck. She also programmed an automatic devirtualization sequence to begin in several hours.

They danced the night away.

* * *

Somewhere in Paris, a phone rang. A man answered it. 

"Yes," he said .

"The little whore got out again tonight," said the voice on the other end.

"Do you know how?"

"No, but I will. The Ambassador was very upset with his whelp when she returned home. I heard that Thompson is supposed to find out how she's doing this."

"Will that impede your search?"

"No, but it may be useless to try. If the Americans find out how she's getting out, they will close that way up. Maybe we should think of something else."

The man holding the phone considered a moment. "You continue looking. Perhaps you will find it before Thompson does. If so, we may still be able to use our original plan. I will begin to make other arrangements, just in case."

* * *

**Author's Note: **

_(1) "Color My World" _By Chicago; 1970; composer Jimmy Pankow.


	8. A Question Of Group Dynamics

Warning: Rated for language, violence and references to adult behavior.

The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.

* * *

"Oooff!" 

Odd hit the mat hard. Jeremie had Odd's hand in a wrist lock, and was slowly tightening it. Odd tapped three times on the mat, and Jeremie released him and stepped back.

"Good, Jeremie!" MGySgt. Thompson called across the mat.

Ulrich and the others had known about Jeremie and Aelita's training sessions with the Marines for some time now. Both were getting more proficient and confident, but one thing they really needed were opponents closer to their age and size. Getting pounded by adults wasn't always that confidence building.

So Jeremie asked his friends if they would join them. They agreed, and MGySgt. Thompson agreed to allow it.

So, on other parts of the mat in the gym were Aelita sparring with Sissi, Yumi sparring with GySgt. Grace, and Ulrich sparring with Cpl. Coffy, who started joining them. MGysSgt. Thompson presided over the group.

"Okay, everyone break!" he called.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, then shook hands with their opponent.

"That's enough for today. I'll get with Jeremie and we'll get scheduled for next time. Dismissed."

Aelita, Yumi and the rest of Jeremie's friends thanked the Marines for coming and left for the showers. Cpl. Coffy and GySgt. Grace went over to the bleachers and took up watch a discreet distance from Jeanie Wilkerson, who was sitting there talking to Herve.

"I see her father hasn't sent her to a convent yet," Jeremie said to MGySgt. Thompson.

"Well, it was a close thing," he replied, "about two days after that dance, she tried sneaking out again, but this time we caught her. Seems like there was an old door in the Embassy Residence that no one knew about, and it led right to the street. Needless to say we secured that entry right away. Afterwards, I made a deal with her. If she didn't sneak out any more, I would let her come with us to the school and she could meet with her boyfriend in a supervised manner."

"What's the big deal? Is really so bad for her to get out on her own?"

"Without escort, yes, and you of all people should know that. But look at it from another point of view. If she can sneak out, then Bad People can sneak in. We don't take kindly to Bad People sneaking into our Embassies."

"Oh," Jeremie said, "on another subject, I've got a little problem I'd like to talk to you about."

"Okay, shoot."

"Well, it's my friends. We, ah, compete, as a team, and we've been having some trouble lately."

"Does this have anything to do with that old factory you and your friends seem to frequent?"

Jeremie's eyes got wide at Thompson's comment.

He laughed, "don't be so surprised! And don't worry either. When I started this little program, I ran complete background checks of you and your friends. I even ran one on Miss Wilkerson's new playmate over there."

"Why?"

"Because you and your friends are interacting with personnel that have knowledge of classified material, and we had to make certain you aren't some kind of security risk."

"Us?"

"Don't be so shocked. Children have been used against our Embassy personnel before. And we can't afford not to be cautious. Especially with our 'princess' over there."

"So how do you know about the factory?"

"GySgt. Grace and Cpl. Pyle followed you one afternoon. Both of them came through Recon, so it wasn't a big stretch for them."

"Ah, how much did they see?"

"Enough to know that there's something odd about that place. An abandoned factory with a sophisticated security system about three levels below the basement."

"Ah, I..."

"Jeremie, don't worry. They didn't go any farther than the elevator. They could have done it, but there wasn't a need. Of course, if you want to explain..."

"I'd really like to, but I don't think it would be a good idea."

"Suit yourself. Now, you were saying you and your friends are having some kind of problem?"

"Yeah. We've been on this 'team' for about four years now. For about three and a half, it's been me, Aelita, Ulrich, Yumi and Odd. Well, over the summer, Sissi joined the team."

"She causing problems?"

"No, not that. It's just... the group has changed. I don't know how to say what I mean."

MGySgt. Thompson thought a moment, then said, "what you're telling me is the group dynamic has changed. You used to be five, working really well together, and now you're six, and you don't quite know how the new guy fits in."

"Yeah. Not only that, but I think I need to change my role in the group. In the past, I was kinda like the coach, sitting on the sidelines and guiding the team on the field. Well, the rules of our game have changed and I think my role has to change with it."

"You know, it would really help me if I knew what 'game' you and your team were playing."

"You do, in a way," Jeremie said after a moment, pointing at Thompson's uniform.

"Shit, kid, what are you in to?"

"I think the phrase is, 'I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.' Please, don't ask me any more. There's a part of me that really wants to tell you everything, but I would want to talk with the others before I did. I've already had to tell two people not associated with our group, but my back was against the wall when I did."

"Alright, I won't press. But if bullets start flying my way because of your 'game,' we _will_ revisit this topic, and I _will_ be insisting on answers. Now, about your problem..."

What the Master Guns told Jeremie only confirmed what Jeremie himself had already thought. They would just have to relearn to work together, now they had a new teammate. As to revising his role, Thompson said he would just have to start training one or more substitutes and let them try coaching. Jeremie was already starting to do that with Desmond Hopper and Aelita, but he was thinking about adding Yumi, Sissi and possibly even Yumi's mother into the rotation.

Master Gunnery Sargent Thompson then said that he might have a way to help them work out their new dynamic.

"I can't make any promises yet, but give me a little time," was the last thing he said on the matter.

* * *

A couple of training sessions later, MGySgt. Thompson called the group together. 

"Jeremie and I have been talking. He has told me that your 'team' has been experiencing some problems working together."

The kids just looked around at one another.

"The way I hear it, adding a person to the roster has kinda screwed up your rhythm, so to speak. I have something I'd like to try in order to help your problem, but it will be difficult."

"Part of Marine training, well, any military training, is learning teamwork. Think about it; you have young men and women, who have never laid eyes on each other before, suddenly thrown together and expected to act as one single organism. That doesn't happen instantly, and it doesn't come naturally. It has to be practiced, over and over, until each individual can instinctively trust the others."

"From what little Jeremie has told me, you've lost that instinctive trust. Now, that sounds worse than it probably is, but whatever changes that have taken place is making each of you question the others, even if it's unconsciously."

"Here is what I want to do. We have a obstacle course on the US air base about an hour from here. I want to take you there and run you through it. It will be a scaled back version of what we in the service go through. This will mean a weekend away from school, and I'll need permission from the principal as well as your parents or guardians. If you'd like, I have forms here with me. I'll even invite your folks out, so they can see for themselves what we're doing. Any questions?"

"Yeah, Master Guns, how about us?" piped in Jeanie Wilkerson, from the bleachers.

"Miss Wilkerson, if your parents agree, and Jeremie doesn't have a problem with it, I don't either. And that includes you too, Mr. Pichon. Jeremie, what do you say."

"Fine by me, Master Gunnery Sargent."

"Alright, that settles it. Get to the showers, then see me after you're dressed. Dismissed."

On the way to the locker room, Ulrich confronted Jeremie.

"Why did you have to include Herve in on this? I can almost understand Jeanie, but Herve?"

"First off, Jeanie is the reason Herve's included. She really likes him, and just because _we_ think he's a jerk doesn't automatically make him one. And he has changed a lot since he met her. I'm willing to put up with him, so how about you cutting him some slack?"

With that, Jeremie ended the conversation.

* * *

Two men met at a café near the Embassy. 

"What have you to say," said the first man.

"The way the little bitch used to sneak out has been found and sealed," said the second man.

"Pity," said the first, "we will have to try something else. Do you have the Embassy schedule?"

"Yes, here it is," said the second, handing a piece of paper to the first.

"Good. Remain vigilant. I will contact you soon."

* * *

Road Trip! To Be Continued...

Please Review, if you would...


	9. Obstacle Course

Warning: Rated for language, violence and references to adult behavior.

The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.

* * *

It took some doing, but the gang was able to get permission from their parents and the principal to take the weekend excursion to the air base. Jeremie's parents, Aelita's aunt and uncle, the Della Robbia's and the Ishiyamas also said that they would come along. Principal Delmas, Ulrich's mother, and Ambassador Wilkerson and his wife were also coming along. Herve's parents allowed him to participate, but couldn't come themselves. Jeanie said that her parents would adopt him for the weekend.

* * *

Before the weekend came, two groups of people held meetings about the upcoming trip. 

In the first, Jeremie spoke with his friends.

"Guys, I know that this is kinda strange, like airing our dirty laundry in public, but I think we really need some help. I'm not saying anybody is screwing up, but we have to prepare for XANA when he turns up. If that were to happen now, I don't think we'd last five minutes."

"What's the problem, anyway, Jer," Ulrich asked.

"I can't put my finger on it, that's part of the problem. Since Sissi joined, things have been different. I don't mean that as a slam on Sissi, but it's true nonetheless."

"Also, I have to change my role in the group. XANA's out now, so my sitting at a console somewhere isn't going to help us. I need to be able to fight with you guys if it gets down to that. Also, if something happens to me, and someone does have to sit at that console, we have to have someone ready to handle it."

"Anyway, I've come to trust and respect MGySgt. Thompson. He's been doing this kind of thing longer than any of us has been alive. He may be able to pinpoint just what the disconnect is and help us fix that."

"Now, the reason I've got everybody together is to state the obvious. When we're on this thing, we're going to have people with us who know diddly-squat about Lyoko, XANA or what we do. It needs to stay that way. Other than that, everybody who's out there with us is part of the team, and we treat them that way. That means Herve and Jeanie in particular."

Odd and Ulrich groaned at that.

* * *

At the Embassy, another meeting was taking place. 

"Alright, Cpl. Pyle, Cpl. Coffy, you will be with me supervising the kids through the course. Safety is Priority Number One. These kids have not been through Basic, so we do not run their asses off. If at any time a situation looks to get dangerous, I want it stopped and I want to know about it. None of them 'shall dash their foot against a stone,' get me?"

"We get you, Master Guns!" said the group.

"Gunny Grace, you will lead a squad of roving security. Your mission is to remain undetected, and provide me with intel on any activity that occurs outside the training exercises."

"Aye-aye, Master Guns," GySgt. Grace replied.

"Good. I want reports of final preparations on my desk by End Of Day. Dismissed. Gunny Grace, stay behind, please. I want a private word with you."

The rest of the Marines filed out of the briefing room, while GySgt. Grace remained.

"Ann, I want to give you an 'expanded' explanation of your orders," Thompson began, "I've got a sneaking suspicion that I know what's at the root of Jeremie's 'problem.'"

"Care to elaborate?" she asked.

"Hormones," he said.

"Oh, Jeez."

"Oh Jeez and oh shit. You've noticed how Jeremie's 'team' has seemed to pair off, haven't you."

"Are you kidding, if one of those girls would trip, she'd have her boyfriend's dick in her so fast it's not funny," GySgt. Grace said.

MGySgt. Thompson smiled at that. "Jeremie doesn't look like he's got it quite _that_ bad, but that's an accurate assessment of the others. What I want you to watch out for is for any of them sneaking away for a little trysting. If one of them does, break it up in a way that doesn't blow your cover, and let me know. I think we are going to have some 'counseling sessions' this weekend."

"Tell their parents?"

"I haven't decided."

"What about the princess?"

"I told her in no uncertain terms that if she tries to bone her boyfriend this weekend, I will personally see to it she spends the next four years going through Basic at Parris Island, after I told her father. She just about shit when I told her that, so I don't think she'll be a problem. But keep an eye on her too."

* * *

The weekend of the confidence course came and it was wet. And chilly. Both parents and children met at Kadic Academy for the trip, including the US Ambassador and his family. A bus was waiting to take them to the base. 

There was also a surprise guest for the weekend. General Allen Maxwell, USMC, the senior officer at the Embassy, was accompanying them.

After making introductions, the visitors were loaded on the bus and they were off.

During the drive, MGySgt. Thompson spoke with General Maxwell.

"Sir, is there any particular reason why you decided to accompany us? Not that you're not welcome, of course."

"I'm just curious how my Senior NCO is spending his time," the General replied, "you've been involved with these kids for what, three, four months now?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, I was just wondering, what's the point? From what I've heard, you've helped the Belpois boy and his girlfriend. This seems to be going way beyond helping a boy find his confidence."

"General, I can't really explain it. You're right, Belpois at least has enough confidence that if he wants to go further, he can do it on his own. But ever since his father called, I've just had this feeling, a feeling that he needs a lot more help than he's asked for. When he brought this little problem to me, that feeling really struck home. Now, if you tell me to, I'll end it. The original purpose has been accomplished, and we can always talk on the phone or write. But I really feel that we need to stay involved with this kid and his friends. Call it paranoia, call it senility, but that's my read on it."

"Tay, I've never second guessed your 'feelings.' God knows your feelings have saved my ass on more than one occasion. About the only thing I will say is be careful. Don't get yourself into anything that'll hurt your career. You're about due to retire in, what, two years?"

"There abouts, sir. That's when my current hitch is up."

"Well, I'd hate for you to get a case of 'short timers luck' and have that screwed up," Maxwell said, "just be careful."

"I try to be, sir. I try to be."

* * *

The weather moderated by the time they got to the base. The sun was out, and it was drying the land off as well as raising the temperature. MGySgt. Thompson escorted the group to a building close to where the bus had parked. 

Once everybody was inside and settled, he called for everybody's attention and spoke, "I'd first like to thank everyone for taking the time out and coming today. Now this is primarily for the kids, but we also have some activities planned for the adults."

"The group of buildings where we are now will be our base of operations for the weekend. I'll have someone come around in a bit and give everyone billet, I mean, room assignments. Families will be rooming together, so you parents shouldn't be too worried."

The adults chuckled at that remark.

"I need to see all of the kids in the next room for a moment, then we'll get started. Thanks again for participating, everybody."

* * *

Once the kids moved into the next room, MGySgt. Thompson and two other men, Cpl. Coffy and Cpl. Pyle, joined them. 

"Okay, here's what's going to happen," MGySgt. Thompson began, "you will be taken out onto the base's Obstacle Course. When we get to each Obstacle, you will be given instructions on how to complete it. Once the Obstacle is complete, we will move on to the next."

"Depending on how well you do, we could complete the course by noon tomorrow. Of course, if we finish sooner, the rest of the weekend will be more or less unstructured."

The kids smiled at that remark.

"Now, here are some rules. One, Safety First! We are not here to get you injured or get you killed. You have to sign up for that."

They laughed.

"If you aren't sure about something, ask us. We will help you, or we will adjust the situation. If you do get hurt or injured, say something! A Corpsman will be with us the entire time. If he can't handle it, we can have you in the base hospital in five minutes."

"Two, no one leaves the course! I've got the whole thing reserved for the entire weekend, but this is a working military base. There are activities going on all around us, and some of that activity can be dangerous. Like I said, we aren't here to get you injured or killed. Don't you do it for us."

"Three, the issue here is trust and teamwork. I'm sure that some of you could complete every obstacle on the course in record time, but that's not the point. There are those on your team that may not be able to match your physical prowess. Because of that, no one leaves the obstacle until _everybody_ has completed it. Those that do complete the obstacle may help those who haven't yet, but it must be in a way that the person completes the task as presented."

"You were all given a list of clothes and equipment to bring today. In a minute, we'll be around to make sure you have everything. Additionally, we will be passing out an equipment belt with a canteen of water. The canteens hold 3 liters each, and that should be more than enough to get you through today. Drink when you need it, and remember there are no bathrooms on the course."

They laughed again.

"Alright, equipment check!"

* * *

It was about a mile from the building where they gathered to the obstacle course. MGySgt. Thompson set a good pace, and they arrived at the first obstacle a half hour later. The kids were winded, Herve and Jeanie especially so, but they were ready to begin. 

The first obstacle was a wall, about twelve feet tall. At the top were three ropes, hanging down about half way, but still out of reach.

"Here's your first test," MGySgt. Thompson began, "everyone has to get up and over that wall. Those who get up and over first may help the rest to complete the job, but they cannot go back around the sides to do it. Those that do will have to scale the wall again. Any questions?"

"Can we use anything to help us?" Yumi asked.

"You can use whatever is on this side of the wall. If you find something on the other side of the wall that would be useful, you must bring it back up the wall and over the top to use it, you can't run it around the side," Thompson replied, "anyone else? Good. Get to it."

The eight kids approached the wall. On either side, Cpl. Pyle or Cpl. Coffy stood, preventing them from circumventing the wall. MGySgt. Thompson walked around to the other side.

"Any ideas, Einstein?" Odd asked.

"I think the first thing we need to do is to get someone on top of the wall. Thompson said if there's something on the other side we could use, we will have to get it back over the wall. That makes me wonder if there isn't something over there we can use," Jeremie replied.

"I'll go," Odd then said, "someone will just have to get me to the rope, that's all."

"I'll help," Ulrich piped in.

Ulrich and Odd went over to the wall. Ulrich set his back against the wall and cupped his hands to give Odd a foothold. Odd used the foothold to climb up on Ulrich's shoulders. He then stretched as far as he could and managed to grab one of the ropes. He pulled himself up to the top of the wall and looked over.

"Hey Jeremie! There's a ladder on this side!" Odd called back.

"Great! can you get it over here?"

"No, it's lying flat on the ground. I'll have to jump down to get it."

"Okay, wait... Odd!" Jeremie called, but it was too late. Odd jumped from the top of the wall down to the other side.

It was very tempting to peek around the wall to see what was going on, but the gang resisted the temptation. After a moment, they heard a _thud!_ as something hit the wall on the other side. Seconds after that they heard Odd shout, "Crap! I can't reach the top!"

Yumi then said, "let me try next. I can get to the top and throw one of the ropes over to Odd."

Ulrich then positioned himself against the wall again, forming his hands into a foothold for Yumi. She ran up, putting her foot into his hands, the other on his shoulder, and vaulted up to the rope. She hung there a moment, eyes closed, muttering to herself. Then, she opened her eyes and scaled the wall.

Once on top, she took the rope she climbed, and threw it on the other side. Odd was now able to climb the ladder and reach the rope.

But they needed to get the ladder over the wall, not Odd.

"Jeremie, what if Odd boosts the ladder up, and I haul it over," Yumi called down.

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Do it!" he called back.

Soon, they could see the first rungs of the ladder appear at the top of the wall. It continued growing for a few seconds, then stopped.

"That's all! I've got the bottom of the ladder over my head!" Odd called from the other side.

Yumi carefully took control of the ladder, pulling it up and tipping it over. At one point, she almost lost her balance, but was able to catch herself. When she was wobbling, all of the Marines standing there rushed up, in case they had to catch her.

She guided the ladder down until she had the last rung in her hand. She then let it go.

The ladder hit the ground on their side, and started to fall over. Ulrich caught it and set it against the wall.

Everybody whooped for joy.

"Okay, Jeanie, Herve, you go next." Jeremie called out.

Jeanie scrambled up the ladder to the rope, then quickly pulled her self up to the top. When she got there, Yumi took one of the ropes and lowered herself down the opposite side.

Herve then scaled the ladder, and took the rope. Then, he got into trouble. Herve had difficulty pulling himself up. Jeanie tried reaching down to help him, but almost fell off.

"I can't hold on! I'm going to slip!" he cried out.

Sissi then sprinted up the ladder, and grabbed the rope next to Herve. With her free arm, she grabbed Herve's waist and stabilized him.

"Ooofff! Get a better grip on the rope! I can't hold you forever, but I think I can help you up! You've got to try, Herve! You can do it, I know you can!" Sissi told him.

"Come on love, you can make it! I'm right here, waiting for you!" Jeanie called down to him.

Something inside Herve bloomed to life. No one had ever called him love before, not even Sissi. And Sissi beside him, helping him, encouraging him, triggered something. Somewhere, he found Strength.

Slowly, he started pulling himself up the rope. Sissi released her grip on him for a moment to scale the rope herself, all the time keeping pace with her friend. On top of the wall, Jeanie was calling encouragement to him, holding her hand out to grab him as soon as he was close enough.

He kept pulling himself up, hand over hand, his feet hardly contributing to the effort at all. But he climbed.

Finally, Jeanie's hand was able to grab his wrist. Sissi clambered up the remaining distance, then grabbed him too. Together, the girls pulled Herve to the top of the wall.

Now, on both sides of the wall, came the whooping and shouting of triumph!

"You the Man, Herve!" called Odd.

"I knew you could do it!" called Jeremie.

Now, only Jeremie, Aelita and Ulrich remained.

Aelita was the next to climb. It was difficult for her, but she was able to scale the wall without help. Jeanie and Sissi, dropped down to the other side when she made it to the top.

Now it was just Jeremie and Ulrich.

"You go ahead, Jer," Ulrich said, "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure? You don't think your vertigo will..." Jeremie replied.

"I'll be fine!" Ulrich snapped.

"Okay! Forgive me for being concerned!" Jeremie turned away and scaled the wall.

When he got to the top, Aelita dropped down. Now they were waiting for Ulrich.

"Just a moment before you continue," MGySgt. Thompson called out, "you need to put the ladder back where you found it."

Everybody groaned at that pronouncement.

Several of the gang, Jeanie being the loudest, started protesting about that not being fair. Thompson rebuffed them by saying, "Obstacles by their very nature are unfair. Deal with it."

Jeremie sat atop the wall and pondered. He looked at the top of the wall, at the attachment points of the ropes there. They were simply tied to eye-bolts screwed into the top of the wall. He thought for a moment longer, then called out, "Master Guns, if I put them back, can I untie the ropes?"

"As long as you put them back, fine," he replied.

Jeremie then called down to Ulrich, "go ahead and push the ladder up. I'll flip it over."

"Then what'll I do?" Ulrich called back.

"Wait and see."

Ulrich shrugged and pushed the ladder up to Jeremie. Jeremie then flipped the ladder over to the other side. Everybody scattered when if came over.

Next, Jeremie carefully made his way over to the far rope. He untied it, then pulled it back. He then pulled up the center rope. Once he had the loose end, he tied a sheet bend using the two ropes, joining them together. He then dropped the doubled rope down the side.

"Ulrich, can you climb that?"

Ulrich ran up, jumped, and caught the end of the rope. He pulled himself up part ways, then hollered and fell back down. Cpl. Coffy was immediately at his side.

Ulrich shook himself off, and told Coffy he was okay. Cpl. Coffy put his hand on Ulrich's shoulder and said something to him. Ulrich then ran and caught the rope again.

This time, he made slow and steady progress. Jeremie was calling encouragement from the top of the wall, while Cpl. Coffy was calling encouragement from the ground. He glanced for a second at MGySgt. Thompson, who just smiled back.

Ulrich finally joined Jeremie at the top of the wall.

"See, I knew you could do it!" Jeremie told his friend, "now get on over and I'll put the rope back." Ulrich dropped on the other side.

Jeremie replaced the rope where he found it, and jumped down.

MGySgt. Thompson clapped as he approached them.

"That was great! That was a unique solution to the problem, team! Now take five, then we'll proceed to the next obstacle."

* * *

The next obstacle was a series of logs suspended in the air. They were held up by posts in the ground, which raised the logs up six feet off the ground at the highest point at the beginning, and three feet off the ground at the lowest point at the end. 

"The object here is to navigate the logs without touching the ground. Anyone who touches the ground has to start over again. Cpl. Pyle will demonstrate how you will cross the logs."

Thompson nodded to Cpl. Pyle, who ran up to the obstacle, jumped up and grabbed the first log. He pulled himself up, then over the log. He next grabbed the second log, and pulled himself under it, grabbing the log with his arms and legs. Then he grabbed the third log and pulled himself up and over it. He continued this way across all of the logs, until he reached the end.

"Now, I will give you this. Once you have completed the obstacle, you can remount it and come back up to help your teammates, without threading the logs like Cpl. Coffy just did. But you cannot stand on the ground and help anyone. Understood?"

"Yes, Master Gunnery Sargent," they replied.

"Okay," Jeremie said, "Ulrich, Yumi, Jeanie, Herve, Sissi, Aelita, me then Odd."

"Why me last?" Odd asked.

"Because you can jump up and grab that first log, I can't," Jeremie said.

Ulrich went first. He was able to quickly navigate the logs to the other side. Yumi came quickly after him. Jeanie was next; it took her longer, and she got into trouble. Yumi immediately jumped on the logs and scrambled of the top to the girl. She grabbed Jeanie and helped her under the log she was slipping from. Jeanie smiled in thanks and continued on. Yumi shadowed her, helping whenever she started to slip. Both girls made it to the other side.

Then it was Herve's turn. Odd boosted him up to the first log. Herve tried to pull himself up, but couldn't and slipped off. Jeanie and Yumi both scampered over the logs to get to the other side to help. Odd boosted Herve up again, this time into the waiting hands of Yumi and Jeanie. They pulled him up onto the log. Then they helped him go under the second log, making sure he didn't slip and fall. The three continued this way all down the obstacle, until he successfully reached the other end.

Then came Sissi. Odd helped her up, and she pulled herself onto the first log. She was able to thread herself below the second log and up onto the third log. She got into trouble on the fourth log. She lost her grip and almost fell; she was barely hanging on by one arm and her legs.

Jeanie and Herve immediately went back out on the logs to her. Herve slipped and almost fell off twice getting there, but the two reached Sissi and grabbed her before she could slip off. They helped her up, then followed her as she completed the course.

Aelita had similar troubles to Sissi. This time, Sissi and Yumi came to her rescue. She successfully crossed the logs.

Jeremie wasn't sure he could make it across. Odd boosted him up, into the waiting hands of Herve and Sissi. While Jeremie was working up his courage to make the attempt, they scrambled back across the logs to help him. With their help, Jeremie made it across.

Odd had no trouble surmounting the obstacle.

Once they were all across, MGySgt. Thompson said, "Good Effort! Now, let's take lunch. I guess we aren't going to get as far as I thought, but I love the progress we're making. Fall out for chow!"

* * *

Lunch was MREs, or Meals, Ready To Eat. Coffy and Pyle sat with the kids, trading items out of their MREs for items in the others, in particular coffee. 

MGySgt. Thompson was off to one side, talking on a cell phone.

Ulrich and Yumi took their lunch and walked off to the edge of the course, and sat down under a tree. The rest stayed gathered together with the two corporals, talking about the morning's activities.

"Cpl. Coffy, why do they call you Sanka?" Aelita asked the man.

He smiled and replied, "well, it could be because of my perfect coffee and cream complexion, or the fact my last name is Coffy, but the real reason is I'm good to the last drop."

The other Marines responded to his declaration with catcalls and boos and a "bullshit".

"Girl, he thinks he's such a lady's man, he even had that stupid motto tattooed on himself," Cpl. Pyle said.

"Where," Aelita asked innocently.

Sanka smiled and replied, "ask me again when you're eighteen and maybe I'll show you."

While the others were talking, Yumi whispered something in Ulrich's ear. A few moments later, they were gone. No one seemed to notice when Ulrich and Yumi slipped away from the group. No one but the Master Gunnery Sargent.

He opened his cell phone again and punched in a number.

"Grace? It's Thompson. You've got customers. Yeah, they just ducked out. Got 'em? Good. Keep an eye on them and report back." He ended the call.

* * *

Yumi and Ulrich waited until they were about one hundred yards away from the others before they broke into a run. They ran down the path in front of them. There was nothing around them but the trees; they were alone at last. 

They ran into a clearing. Yumi suddenly stopped, then grabbed Ulrich and used his momentum to toss him over her hip. He hit the ground hard, the breath knocked out of him. She stood over him, laughing, and extended her hand. He took it, only to jerk her off balance, flipping her over him. She too hit hard and had the breath knocked out of her.

He jumped up and stepped back, facing her. She jumped up and faced him. They then proceeded to spar, trading blocks, punches and kicks, only hard enough to register that the had landed, not enough to injure. Finally, they tied themselves into a knot, her blocking his punches as he blocked hers. They held the tableau for a moment, breathing heavily.

Then, they switched from the martial arts to the marital arts.

* * *

GySgt. Ann Grace watched the couple from the woods. They had absolutely no idea that she was there, watching them. She set up her camera, a digital one, and began photographing the scene. 

Ann had been in the Corps most of her life, and she had her share of relationships. But what she saw through the lens of that camera was something she had never seen, something that she had always wanted.

Those two kids were in Love. This wasn't just teenage hormones run amuck, though they definitely were. They had somehow bound themselves together, and nothing in the universe would separate them. That last time she saw a bond that strong was between her parents.

Ann knew what her orders were, break it up before it went too far, but she couldn't. She tried, but her body refused the orders of her mind. She could only play the voyeur, watching perfect bliss play out between two strangers.

As the two lovers came together, she decided that she must truly be a wicked person. Her father told her once that if you led a sinful life, you were condemned to Hell for eternity. But if you were truly, truly wicked, he went on to say, you were shown Heaven first.

All GySgt. Ann Grace could do was watch Heaven play out before her through the camera lens.


	10. Counseling Sessions

Warning: Rated for language, violence and references to adult behavior.

The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.

* * *

Something nudged Yumi's hip. She stirred in Ulrich's arms. It nudged her again. She fussed. 

"Okay you two, rise and shine. Master Gunnery Sargent Thompson wants to have a word with you," came a female voice.

The couple's eyes snapped open to see GySgt. Grace standing over them, her hands on her hips.

"C'mon, pull yourselves together and let's go," she said.

Yumi and Ulrich looked at each other. They both were naked under the jackets they used as covers, having drifted to sleep after their lovemaking. That was how GySgt. Grace had found them.

They groaned and got up.

"If you're thinking about making a break for it, I wouldn't," she told them, "there's about twelve Marines out there now, shadowing us. It's going to be bad enough walking back in with me; I'll at least let you have some semblance of dignity. If you run for it, they'll drag you back in bare-ass naked."

Yumi and Ulrich's eyes got wide at that. They quickly dressed.

Grace smiled as they did. They were so scared right now they'd believe her if she said the sky was green! There wasn't anyone else in the area, she made sure of that before confronting the couple.

When they had dressed, GySgt. Grace said, "pick up your mess. You pack it in, you pack it out."

The couple wondered what she was talking about, then realized what it was. Sheepishly, Ulrich picked up the foil wrapper pieces and used condom that were lying on the ground. He put the mess into his pocket.

"Hm, I don't think I've ever seen a glow in the dark green one before," GySgt. Grace said. She then pointed back along the path they had come down. The group set off.

When they got back to the log obstacle, it was deserted.

"When you two vanished, MGySgt. Thompson called off the exercise," she explained, "everyone else is back at the barracks. Whether or not you will be joining them is up to Master Guns."

They walked back through the obstacle course, to the buildings where they started the day. They went to the entrance they originally came in, but were redirected by GySgt. Grace to another building, next to the first one.

They entered and were led down a hallway. This building was some kind of office building, there were offices all around. They were led to a room and shown in.

"Wait here for the Master Gunnery Sargent," GySgt. Grace said, and left, closing the door.

Soon after she left, they noticed two shadows under the door. She had posted a guard.

"Ulrich, I think we're in deep trouble this time," Yumi said. Ulrich nodded in agreement.

Soon, the door opened, and a Marine stuck his head in. "Master Guns will see you now," he said.

They got up and the Marine led them to another room. This was an office. Within were GySgt. Grace and MGySgt. Thompson, their prosecutor and judge.

"Sit," Thompson said with out preamble. The Marine that escorted them backed out, closing the door.

"You disappeared from the obstacle course against direct orders. I explained the rules before we set out; no one was supposed to leave the course. Do you have an explanation?"

The two sat in silence.

"I thought so," Thompson said, "let's just cut to the chase then. Would you care to explain this?"

He produced an 8 ½" x 11" picture. The picture showed Yumi and Ulrich together in full color and extreme detail.

Both teens faces got _very_ red.

"GySgt. Grace exceeded her orders in this case," he said, "she was supposed to _stop_ something like this from happening. But her inaction does not excuse your actions. The two of you have violated the primary tenant of teamwork: never, Never! leave your teammates."

He continued, "I will not comment on the right or wrong of what you were doing. If I chewed out every Marine for chasing tail, that's all I would be doing, when I wasn't getting chewed out for it myself."

"But you do not let your little head do your thinking when you are on a mission! I know this was just a little training exercise, but for all practical purposes, it was the real deal. One you had to complete successfully and come home with all of your team. I assume GySgt. Grace told you the exercise was canceled when you two disappeared. If this were combat, or your 'game,' your team would have probably been out looking for you. And doing that may have gotten them all killed."

"If you two want to screw your brains out, fine. Personally, I'd cool it down a lot. But if you're going to play hide-the-sausage whenever you participate in whatever 'game' you play with Jeremie and the rest, you might as well quit and call it done, 'cause you're no good to them like this."

"Now, I've got one other dilemma. What do I tell the others? What do I tell your parents?

Ulrich and Yumi's eyes got wide at that statement.

"I am definitely telling Jeremie," MGySgt. Thompson said, "he needs to know about his weak links and compensate for them. As for your parents... It's against my better judgment, but we'll leave them out of this. _I_ won't tell them, you should."

"GySgt. Grace will escort you back to the holding area. Do you have anything to say for yourselves?"

"Sir," Yumi said, afraid to ask what she must, "what about the picture?"

"It was never my intention to humiliate you or any of your friends," MGySgt. Thompson said, "that's why I wanted GySgt. Grace to stop things _before_ they went too far. I can assure you that I will revisit my orders to her once we're done here."

"As to the photograph..." He took the picture and tore it to shreds. He then put the shreds into an ash tray, pulled out a lighter, and lit them. They quickly burned up. He then pulled out a small memory stick, like the ones used in digital cameras, and gave it to Yumi.

"That stick contains every picture GySgt. Grace took. The picture I just tore up was the only hard copy in existence. Before you were shown in, I told GySgt. Grace if _any_ picture of you two from that stick shows up anywhere in the world, I will personally have her ovaries for ping-pong balls. As I said before, it was never my intention to humiliate you."

"Gunnery Sargent Grace, escort these two back to the holding area, then return."

"Aye-aye, Master Gunnery Sargent."

* * *

After Grace left with the two teens, Taylor Thompson sat back and exhaled. 

_Damn, what was she thinking! You'd think she never saw two people making out before!_

Someone knocked at the door, then GySgt. Grace stepped back in.

When she had closed the door, Thompson asked her, "Ann, explain to me how things got out of hand. What part of 'break it up' didn't you understand?"

"Master Gunnery Sargent, permission to speak freely," Grace replied formally.

"Granted. Now talk."

"That wasn't just two hormone besotted kids in lust, that was Love, full stop, period. Two _kids_ found what I've been looking for my entire adult life! When I saw them, I couldn't interrupt them. I tried, I really tried, but my heart wouldn't allow my body to obey my mind. Watching them made me feel like a beggar, looking in the window of a fine restaurant, watching people inside eating. You saw the other pictures on that stick. Did you see the look on their faces, Tay? The only other time I've ever seen that look was on my parents faces. And yours."

"Ann..."

"Don't 'Ann' me! I _love _you, Taylor Nathan Thompson. I've loved you since I first laid eyes on you. I've known for years that you were The One. And I know that you love me. God, there's been times when I just about quit the Corps because of it. I've thought about transferring out, but never did for fear of being posted somewhere away from you and never being near you again. And now this happens, the very thing I've wanted all my life has been thrown up in my face. Those two kids did what I've wanted to do for a long time, but never had the guts to."

She then surprised Taylor by taking him into her arms and kissing him. He struggled for a microsecond, then melted into her embrace.

When they separated, she said, "we've been dancing around it for years, but damn near everyone knows we have a thing for each other! I'm surprised you haven't had your ass hauled up on Frat Regs, or I haven't been transferred. The only reason we haven't been caught is the men..."

"There's another reason, too," came a voice. General Allen Maxwell stepped into the room.

Both NCOs snapped to attention.

"At Ease. GySgt. Grace, the reason why neither of you has had their asses kicked out of my Embassy is because, up to now, discipline hasn't been affected. MGySgt. Thompson has never shown even a hint of favoritism towards you. You may or may not know this, but I have written all of your FitReps since you two came here, at the Master Gunnery Sargent's request. He provided input, but it was my opinions of your performance that were written down."

"I was afraid that it would come to this," the General continued, "that's the real reason I came along this weekend, Taylor. The two of yours interest in these kids is unusual, and I thought it might just be a cover for your own indiscretions. I was wrong about that, but right also. I heard about the Dance."

The two NCO's eyes got wide at that statement.

"None of the men told me, Jeanie did. Of course, she didn't know she was implicating you in a Fraternization Violation. She just said it was wonderful that you two were finally together. As your friend, I agree. As your Commanding Officer, I'm in a bind."

"Since I don't like being constipated, I decided to solve my problem. GySgt. Grace, effective seventeen hundred hours yesterday, you are no longer a member of my Embassy Guard Detail. I am detaching you to the Diplomatic Protection Service Detail. You will still report to me, but you will report _directly_ to me. MGySgt. Thompson is no longer in your chain-of-command, do you understand?"

GySgt. Grace got a smile on her face when she realized the implications of the General's statement. "Yes, Sir!" was her reply.

"Don't go thanking me yet, Ann. You are to be assigned to the protective detail of our Miss Wilkerson. She likes the both of you, so maybe you will be able to keep a better eye on her than her current detail has."

"Now, since that order was dated seventeen hundred yesterday, what I just saw here does not constitute a violation of the Frat Regs, and I'm no longer in a bind. My foresight has saved my bowels, and your careers."

"Now, dinner is set for a couple of hours from now. Other than the three of us, and our wayward lambs down the hall, there's no else about. Now, I would not recommend emulating their example, but I think the two of you could spend a couple of minutes enjoying each other's company. Carry on."

As the General turned to leave, Ann softly said, "thank you, sir."

* * *

Jeremie and MGySgt. Thompson had a private conversation before dinner. Thompson told the boy about Ulrich and Yumi's little escapade, giving him enough detail to know what had happened, but not so much as to embarrass the boy or his friends. Jeremie's face did turn red when they were finished, though. 

"I know about the both of them," Jeremie said, "I'm willing to bet you know about Odd and Sissi, and Aelita and me."

"It is rather obvious," Thompson replied, "but you four didn't duck out on the rest for a roll in the hay."

"I see what you're saying," he replied, "but I still can't blame them. 'But for the Grace of God, there go I' and all that."

"Well, you're going to have to handle it somehow. Maybe they weren't taking the exercise seriously. Maybe when they play your 'game' they'll have their heads screwed on straight. But teenage hormones does seem to be your problem."

"And the only way to cure that is to get rid of either the teenagers or the hormones," Jeremie said, "not a possibility."

* * *

The parents that came with the gang that day had spent the morning and afternoon touring the base, led by General Maxwell and Ambassador Wilkerson. Impromptu demonstrations were held of the various units capabilities, each trying to outdo the other in order to please the visiting Brass. 

The parents also had the opportunity to meet and socialize with each other. Most had only heard of the other students their children went to school with, now they had the chance not only to meet their children's friends, but their friends families as well. Mrs. Ishiyama in particular was making a point of meeting all of the others parents.

By the time the families were reunited with their young, it was almost 5 pm. General Maxwell told them that dinner would be at 7 in the Officer's Mess, with a band playing for entertainment and dancing afterwards. Since MGySgt. Thompson and his crew were invited, the order prohibiting NCOs and Enlisted Personnel from the Officer's Mess was lifted for the for the evening.

Ulrich spent the first part of the evening sitting with his mother. The entire day, she had been withdrawn from the other parents, and no one could figure out why. Mother and son talked for a while, then Ulrich motioned to Yumi to come over and join them. The three sat and talked for a while, until finally Mrs. Stern reached over and hugged Yumi, a beaming smile on her face.

Yumi and Ulrich then took Mrs. Stern over and introduced her to her parents. The two families spent the rest of the evening getting to know one another.

Jeremie's father and MGySgt. Thompson talked for much of the evening. Mrs. Belpois spent her time talking to GySgt. Grace, who had changed into civilian dress for the evening.

The Della Robbias were deep in conversation with Principal Delmas, much to horror of their children. Every now and then one of the other parents would say something that would cause the others to laugh and Odd or Sissi would wince and blush.

The Wilkersons welcomed Herve into their fold like a long lost son. Ambassador Wilkerson spent quite a lot of time talking to the boy, much to Jeanie's dislike. By the time the evening ended, Herve was totally at ease in his surroundings.

Desmond Hopper, his wife Marie, Jeremie and Aelita spent the evening talking among themselves. Except for Ulrich and Yumi getting chewed out, the day had been wonderful.

It was late before everyone went to bed. Adults and children both danced and twirled to the sounds of the Air Force quartet that entertained them that evening. Then the Last Dance was called, and they all retired for the night.

* * *

Back in Paris, an interview was held that evening.

"I am very impressed by your resume," the first man said.

"Thank you. I've had plenty of management experience and..." the second man said.

The first man interrupted, "tell me, what of Mr. Kline?"

"Kline? I, ah, haven't heard that name in years," said the second man.

"I'm sure. Isn't he still serving a sentence for the crime _you_ committed?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," said the second man, visibly shaken now.

"I know all about it," said the first man, "you attempted to broker an arms deal for some Swiss acquaintance, and it backfired. You had to leave your well paying job, lost most of your fortune, and somehow managed to have your best friend in the world implicated, charged and convicted for illegal arms trafficking. Such quick thinking is very impressive indeed. So much so that my Master had me specifically seek you out."

"Master?" asked the second man.

"Yes, Master. One who demands obedience, and rewards it well."

The first man opened a briefcase he had brought with him. In it were packets of thousand Euro bank notes, bound together.

"There is more where this came from, if you agree to join us," the first man said, "my Master is away at present, but I expect him soon. If you agree to join us, this briefcase and its contents are yours, though, as soon as he is available, my Master will want to interview you himself. Call this a retainer."

"I would more than happy to call it whatever you like," said the second man as he reached for the briefcase. The first man pulled it back.

"One more thing, once my Master has interviewed you, and if you are acceptable to him, you will be one of us. This is not a decision to be made lightly. Once you join us, there is no turning back. Think carefully before making your choice."

"I think my choice is made," said the second man, "I'm in. You just tell your master that I'll meet him anytime, anywhere. I'm his man."

"Good," said the first man as he slid the briefcase to the second man, "then let me be the first to welcome you to our organization, Mr. Stern."


	11. Debriefing

Warning: Rated for language, violence and references to adult behavior.

The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.

* * *

Morning came early. Those that wanted to were invited to attend Chapel services. Mr. Delmas, Sissi, and Odd, to the rest of the gang's surprise, accepted the invitation. Aelita asked Jeremie what all the fuss was about, and Jeremie told her that they'd talk about it later. 

After Chapel services were over, MGySgt. Thompson called all of the kids together.

"What we are going to do now is called a debriefing. In military operations, we plan our missions, execute our missions, and debrief after our missions are complete. We do this so we get everyone's perspective about what happened, what went right, and what went wrong."

"Overall, yesterday went very well. When Jeremie first came to me with his problem, I had thought that his situation was a lot worse than what I saw yesterday. Even throwing in a couple of wild cards, meaning Miss Wilkerson and Mr. Pichon, didn't phase you. Except for a minor deviation from orders, yesterday was a first class success."

When the Master Gunnery Sargent said "minor deviation," Ulrich and Yumi sank down in their seats, willing that the floor would open and suck them in.

"Regarding that, I want to make an observation. I've noticed from the very start that the lot of you have paired off. I'm also willing to bet that this happened recently. You've all got a bright, shiny, new toy, and you want to play with it."

The group tittered nervously.

"It is not my place to lecture you on the right or wrong of what you may or may not be doing. I will tell you this, you are playing with one of the most powerful drives in human experience. There are times when it can overpower even the will to live."

"Like I said, you have this new toy and you want to spend all of you time playing with it. One of the possibilities, one that Jeremie may have unconsciously seen, is a tendency to concentrate on your new partner, to the detriment of the others. Under most circumstances, that would be okay, until you came to your senses, but in your case, it might not be so okay."

"Jeremie has hinted at what you do together. He hasn't come out and said it, but whatever it is has a large element of danger in it. If that's the case, you don't have the luxury of ignoring your friends for sake of your love, and you especially can't be pursuing that love in the heat of the 'game.' I can't comment any more than what I have. You have to decide among yourselves how bad the problem really is and what you're going to do about it. On that note, Miss Wilkerson, Mr. Pichon, you're dismissed. I'll leave the rest of you to discuss this weekend and what I just said. The bus will be heading back to school at sixteen-thirty hours, just so you know."

With that MGySgt. Thompson left. Jeremie, Aelita, Odd, Sissi, Ulrich and Yumi were now alone.

The first thing Jeremie said when they were alone was, "Aelita, Sissi, Odd, could you please go on? I want to talk with Ulrich and Yumi for a bit."

When they were alone, Jeremie asked, "what about it, guys? Was the Master Gunnery Sargent right? Do we have a problem?"

"What brought this up in the first place, Jeremie," Yumi asked.

"I don't know, but it's been bothering me for a while now," Jeremie said, "ever since the summer, after we fought that demon, I've had a bad feeling about you two. Like you're in some kind of danger."

"Are you jealous?" Ulrich said with a small smirk.

"No," Jeremie replied, "I'm glad you two are together; you were meant to be together. It's just that... sometimes, when I look at you, I think, 'too much, too soon.' I'm really afraid that something like yesterday will happen again, and the next time you'll be really hurt by it."

"Jeremie, yesterday was my fault," Yumi said, "things were going so great that I got carried away. I talked Ulrich into sneaking off for a little private time and we got caught."

"I know what happened, and in some ways I envy you. I wish I could do the same with Aelita," Jeremie said, "I don't want anything bad to happen to either of you, or you as a couple. But I'm afraid that something's going to come up that could very well destroy you. Just promise me that you'll be careful, that you won't get carried away at the wrong time again."

* * *

The rest of the day was quiet. The kids talked and laughed with one another, and the adults talked amongst themselves. Yumi's mother was going around to all of the adults, talking with them for a while, then writing things down. When Jeremie later asked his parents what she wanted, they just smiled and said nothing. 

Ulrich and Yumi also spent a good deal of time together, talking, probably about their conversation earlier. Jeremie almost wished he had gone to Chapel services that morning. Something deep inside of him wanted to pray for his friends, that they could withstand whatever was coming their way.

* * *

Back in Paris that morning, two men met at a café near the embassy. 

"I have found the perfect time," said the first man.

"When?" asked the second.

"The embassy will be hosting a formal ball for the Ambassador. All of the other embassies will be there. It will be the perfect time to strike," replied the first man.

"What can I do?"

"Find out who will be supplying the food for the dinner. We will use that avenue to gain entry."

"I am not in a position to get that information," said the second man.

"We have a new friend, a Mr. Stern. I will put you in contact with him. He may be of some assistance in finding the information I need."

"Can he be trusted?"

"No, not completely, he has not yet met the Master. But the Master specifically wanted him with us. This will be a good chance to test him. The Master will be interested in how he performs."

"I will obey."

"XANA be with you."

* * *

To Be Continued... 


	12. The Price Of Admission

Warning: Rated for language, violence and references to adult behavior.

The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.

* * *

In Jeremie's dreams, The Demon came for him again. 

He was in a room somewhere, hiding behind a desk, Aelita beside him. Jeanie Wilkerson and Herve were with them too. Jeanie and Herve were pressing their hands into Cpl. Coffy's side and chest, trying to stop the rivers of blood pouring from the wounds he had there. In front of Jeremie, protecting all of them, was GySgt. Ann Grace.

Then The Demon came.

It burst into the room and spouted fire all around. Ann responded with fire of her own. She stood before it, firing her pistol directly into The Demon's body. Over and over she fired, until the slide locked back.

It waited until she had emptied her gun, then flung the desk off to one side. With another sweep of its hand, it knocked the gun out of her hands, then grabbed Ann Grace by the hair, lifting her off the ground.

Ann shouted as she struggled in the Demon's grip, "Fire, Jeremie! Protect Them! You Can Do It!"

Jeremie looked down and saw something in his hands, a gun like hers.

"But I don't know how to use it!" he cried in anguish.

The Demon turned to Jeremie, Ann dangling from its grip, and said, _this is the price you pay for your deeds!_

It then took its claws and tore Ann's heart from her chest, killing her. It then turned towards the others.

"NO!"

Jeremie awoke and sat bolt upright in bed.

It took him a moment, but he realized that he was in his own bed at school. The room was dark. He sat up, put his glasses back on and looked at the clock. It read 3:30 am.

_Great, that's the fourth straight night!_ the boy thought to himself. It was the Wednesday after the weekend at the air base. That Sunday night was the first time he had this nightmare.

At first, Jeremie put it off to nerves, maybe an echo of the attack on Aelita and him months ago. He remembered having a similar dream in the hospital, one that actually started him down the path to Taylor Thompson and friends.

He also thought that it might be a reaction to the news that MGySgt. Thompson wouldn't be coming by to coach them any more. He explained that Jeremie reached the point to where he could train on his own a long time ago, and maybe it would be better if he did. Jeremie said okay, but was disappointed they wouldn't be spending any more time together.

Yesterday, Jeremie talked to the school psychologist about the dream, but didn't really get any answers or help from that quarter. All he got were platitudes.

_God, what are You trying to tell me?_ Jeremie thought to himself as he removed his glasses and settled back to sleep.

* * *

The next afternoon, Jeremie was moping, a highly unusual event. The dream still bothered him, and there was no where he could go for help. Sissi and Odd were off in the woods together, Ulrich and Yumi had gone into town, and Aelita was working at her uncle's office this afternoon. He had plopped himself down on a bench on the campus, and stared out at the world. 

"Care to show a girl a good time?"

Jeremie looked around and saw Ann Grace standing beside him. She was dressed in civilian clothes and smiling down at him.

"How ya doin' kid?" she said, "you're so distracted, if I was a snake, I could have crept up and bit you."

"Hi, Gunny Grace," Jeremie replied, "I'm surprised to see you here."

"Well, just because Taylor can't see you any more doesn't mean I can't," she said, "I'm heading Jeanie's Protective Detail now, and she still comes by to see Herve."

She pointed across the campus to Jeanie Wilkerson and Herve sitting under a tree talking. At a discreet distance, two men were watching both Jeanie and everybody else.

"So, what's up? Why are you so glum?"

"Nothing, really," he replied.

"Bull. You are probably one of the most upbeat people I've ever met, other than that Della Robbia character. 'Fess up."

"You'll think it's stupid."

"Try me."

"I've been dreaming about you."

She snorted. "You and every other red-blooded straight man in the world. Sorry to break the news to you, but I'm officially Off The Market."

Jeremie blushed. "I didn't mean it that way. Ever since the weekend, I've been having the same nightmare over and over. A monster is coming to get us and you're standing there, shooting at it until you empty your gun. Then it picks you up and kills you, before killing everyone else."

"Ick. I think I would have preferred strawberries and chocolate syrup myself."

Jeremie got a confused look on his face for a second, then blushed again. "The worst part of it was, I was holding a gun in my hands, but I couldn't use it. You were yelling at me to shoot it and protect them, but I couldn't."

"Jeremie, are you trying to ask me something?" the woman said.

"I don't know. What do you think I'm asking you?"

"How to use a gun," she replied.

Jeremie was silent. When she said those words, something clicked in his mind. The nightmare was a message, a warning. _Prepare._

"Maybe I am," he replied after a moment.

"No."

"Why?"

"Because you are too young," she said, "because you're a French citizen. Because you're not my child, and I don't know what your parents would say when they found out. And they will find out, Jeremie. Doing that would definitely get me court marshaled, and could land you in trouble, too. I'm not familiar with French gun control laws, so just possessing a weapon could get you in more trouble than you're ready to handle. No, full stop, period."

"Ann, Jeanie and Herve were there, too. Sanka was there, and he was dying."

"Jeremie, it was just a _dream_."

"Dreams can be more than dreams to my friends and me," he replied.

* * *

The dream returned again that night. This time, as he was sitting up recovering from it, his cell phone rang. 

"Hello?"

"Noon, tomorrow, at the school gates," said a feminine voice. The call ended.

* * *

Then next day, Jeremie had to forego a little 'quality' time with Aelita to make his rendezvous. 

He got to the school gates and waited. Soon, a car pulled up and the passenger door opened.

"Get in," said the driver.

Jeremie got in the car, and it left.

Jeremie looked at the driver. It was a man he had never seen before. "Who are you?" he asked. The man didn't reply.

The drove out of the city and into the country. After a while, the car turned off on a lonely country road. The man drove a little ways to another road. There, he stopped.

"This is your stop," he said. He handed Jeremie something and said, "these are your instructions." He then sat and waited for Jeremie to leave.

Jeremie, bewildered by the sequence of events, got out of the car. As soon as he closed the door, the man drove off.

Standing alone at the side of the road, Jeremie looked at what the man gave him. It was a note. He opened it and read:

_Go up the drive to the house. Tell the man there that you're with 'Blueboy.' He will bring you to me. Do not talk with anyone else there. If you are asked something, say 'I can't talk about that.' Don't look too closely at anyone else there. Don't look too interested in anything you see. If anybody asks who you are, say 'Napoleon.'_

_Right now, you are in more danger than you realize. NEVER tell anyone about today. If you do, you won't live to see the morning, I'm not kidding, Jeremie, you won't._

_Remember, 'Blueboy.' You are 'Napoleon.'_

_Eat this note._

_Seriously, Jeremie, eat this note, it's designed to be digested._

_Ann_

He stared a the note, for a moment, then ate it. It didn't taste all that bad. He turned and walked up the road.

At the other end was a house, he walked up, and was suddenly confronted by a man.

"Can I help you, son?"

"Ah, yes sir, I'm with Blueboy?"

The man looked at him for a moment, the shrugged. "This way," he said, motioning for Jeremie to follow him.

They walked through the house and out the back door. There, were about twelve men standing about. Jeremie remembered what the note said and tried not to stare too intently at his surroundings.

"What's your name, son?" said another man, suddenly.

"Napoleon."

"Oh, the last minute student. Okay, follow me."

Jeremie followed this man out into the field. They walked about a half kilometer until they came to a makeshift target range. There was one person already there, Ann Grace. The man pointed at her and he walked on by himself.

When he got to her, he said, "Ann, what's this..." She suddenly put her hand over his mouth.

"Shut up and listen," she whispered, "I am violating so many laws by having you here it's not funny! We are someplace that does not exist, doing something that the United States does not do. If anybody gets even a hint that you're not supposed to be here, they'll never find either of our bodies."

She removed her hand from his mouth then said in a normal voice, "you are here today to learn the rudiments of using a handgun. By the end of this session, you should be able to operate the weapon, fire it at your target with a reasonable expectation of hitting it, and know some of the common misfires that can occur. Do you have any questions before we begin?"

"No, ma'am."

"Then let's begin."

* * *

Ann spent the rest of the afternoon taking Jeremie through the Manual Of Arms for the Beretta 9mm semi-automatic handgun. He learned how to safe the weapon. He learned how to field-strip it, and how to reassemble it. He learned how to load it. And he learned how to fire it. Finally, they finished. 

She whispered once again, "okay, we're done. I won't do this again, Jeremie. If you think you need to learn more, talk to your father. Now, what I want you to do is head down the field to the woods there," she pointed away from the house he came from, "and you'll come down to the road. Stay out of sight, and I'll pick you up in a little while."

Jeremie nodded and left. As he reached the woodline, he heard two shots from the makeshift target range behind him, then a third. _I guess Ann is getting a little practice in for herself,_ Jeremie thought.

Just inside the woods, he saw a mound of freshly dug dirt. He wondered for a moment what that was, then put it out of his mind. He walked through the woods for about fifteen minutes before he came to the road. He found some bushes that could conceal him and sat down.

An hour later, a car, driven by Ann, pulled up and the passenger door opened. He jumped up and ran to get car and got in. They drove off.

"Jeremie, I meant what I said, no one must _ever_ know this happened, not even your father," she told the boy, "if anybody ever asks you about us and today, lie your ass off. Saying we were off having a roll in the hay is a more acceptable answer."

Jeremie blushed at that.

"I'm not kidding. I would rather be booted out for sexual misconduct with a minor than treason. And what happened back there would be considered treason, if I even got to trial."

"Why," he asked, "what was going on there?"

"It's a safe house. One that covert personnel use. Right now, it's being used to train people to shoot for some kind of something."

"You don't know or you can't say?"

"Both. Look, I've been known to drop off the face of the earth every now and then, and people like that have gotten various forms of firearms training. Anyway, I knew this was coming up, so I included you in the class. I won't do it again."

Why? Couldn't I just show up there and say I'm Napoleon again?"

"NO! Don't every say that!" the woman exclaimed, stopping the car. She composed herself, pulled the car over to the side of the road, then continued, "Napoleon is a code word. It's given to a covert operative we know has been compromised. Napoleon never leaves that safe house once he gets there."

Suddenly, the mound in the woods and the gunshots made sense to Jeremie.

"You mean... you... killed someone?"

The woman was silent for a moment. "Look, Jeremie, that person was dead the moment he got the Napoleon codeword. I happen to know that he compromised a contact we had in Syria. The contact and his family were killed in a very gruesome manner. It was going to happen, no matter what. I just moved up the timetable so you could come out. You have to understand something; people like Taylor, Sanka, Gomer and me are very dangerous people. Yeah, we joke around and act like idiots sometimes, but we also do things like this, and we don't lose a wink of sleep at night over it. Every nation has people like us, people who will do whatever it takes to protect their country."

Jeremie was silent for a while. "I understand, a little. I'm sorry, Ann, for putting you through this. But if this was so dangerous, why did you do it?"

"Because, Jeremie, I have dreams too."

* * *

That night, Jeremie dreamed of being back at the target range, listening to Ann Grace's lecture on using a handgun. He remembered each word she said, etching it into his mind, almost his soul. He remembered the feel of his stance as he readied himself to fire at the target. He memorized how the target looked in the sights of the pistol. He remembered the kick of the weapon as it discharged, hitting the target where he aimed it, the center of the body. 

He remembered everything about that afternoon. He replayed it over and over, all night in his dreams. There was an extra urgency to his thoughts now.

Every night, he would replay the training session in his dreams, trying to draw significance out of every moment he spent there. Beyond retaining the training he received there, there was another reason Jeremie revisited that afternoon.

He also remembered the faceless person standing at the woodline, watching him, the person buried in the mound he saw.

The person that paid the price of his admission.

* * *

To Be Continued... 


	13. Invitations

Warning: Rated for language, violence and references to adult behavior.

The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.

* * *

Things were quiet after that afternoon in the country. Jeremie would supervise Aelita when she went to visit her father in Lyoko, making sure he didn't try and keep her there against her will. Jeremie even virtualized Desmond Hopper into Lyoko once so he could visit his brother face to face. 

Franz Hopper was finally starting to settle down. The years of sensory deprivation had taken their toll on him. He still wasn't totally sane, and there were times when he would suddenly think he was having delusions and start attacking anything and anyone around him. When those times came, Jeremie made sure everyone was pulled out of Lyoko, and let Franz rage on. His fit would pass, and Franz would be remorseful over his actions.

Desmond was talking to a psychiatrist about his brother. Jeremie was afraid of bringing yet another person into the Lyoko world, but they had to help Franz somehow.

But all was not doom and gloom. XANA still hadn't reared its ugly head. School was going well, and Odd, Ulrich and Sissi were even improving their grades.

One day, about a month after the weekend at the air base, there was a knock at Jeremie's door. He opened it and there stood MGySgt. Thompson.

"How've you been doing, Jeremie," he said in greeting.

"Fine," Jeremie replied, shaking his hand, "how have things been going with you?"

"It's almost impossible to explain," the man replied, "I never understood just how much stress I was under until that weekend. I may not have been able to help you much with your problems, but you inadvertently seemed to have helped me with mine."

"How so?"

In reply, MGySgt. Thompson handed Jeremie some envelopes.

Curious, Jeremie opened one. Inside, it read:

_GySgt. Anna Maisy Grace, USMC and MGySgt. Taylor Nathan Thompson, USMC_

_Invite you to share Their Joy_

_As They join each other in Holy Matrimony_

_On June 11, 2xxx at 5 pm_

_At the Chapel, United States Embassy, Paris France._

_A Reception will follow at the Embassy._

_RSVP by May 11, 2xxx._

"Wow! That's great! Congratulations!" Jeremie exclaimed, "What are these other envelopes?"

"Some are wedding invitations for Aelita and your friends," Thompson replied, "the others are invitations to a ball the Embassy is throwing on May the 7th. It's one of those fancy-smancy shindigs Embassies put on several times a year. Jeanie's invited Herve, and told me to see to it you and your friends got invites too."

"Well, thanks," Jeremie said, "I'll give these to the others and find out what they want to do. I think I can safely RSVP Aelita and myself for the Ball right now, and I can definitely RSVP us for your wedding."

"Good, I'll tell Miss Wilkerson and Ann that."

* * *

All the gang was excited about the ball. They all RSVP'd, then spent the next few weeks wondering what they would wear. For the boys, the choice was simple, black-tie tuxedos. 

Yumi decided to wear the formal kimono she bought while she was in Japan over the summer.

Sissi started pouring though all of her teen magazines looking for suggestions, then harassed her father to buy her the dress she wanted. He agreed, especially after seeing her try the dress on in the store. He got a wistful look on his face, like he was remembering a fond moment, and bought the dress.

Aelita, on the other hand, didn't have a clue as to what to wear. She had never worried about anything like this before, and was totally bewildered by the choices available. Help came to the pink haired girl in the form of Jeremie's mother and GySgt. Ann Grace.

Both women would be attending the ball too; Grace in her capacity as Jeanie Wilkerson's bodyguard, Jeremie's parents at the invitation of MGySgt. Thompson. Like Aelita, neither woman had a suitable dress for the event, so the three of them went shopping.

When Aelita got back to school from the trip, she told Jeremie that she had found a dress that would knock his eyeballs out. He tried to get her to show him, but she gave him a coy little smile and told him to wait.

* * *

There were other people preparing for the ball. 

"Were you able to find out who is catering the party?" the first man said.

"Yes, Mr. Stern was very helpful in that matter," replied the second man.

"Good. Now here is what we are going to do..."


	14. Many Surprises

Warning: Rated for language, violence and references to adult behavior.

The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.

* * *

May 7th came and everybody was excited. Jeremie's parents drove down for the weekend and spent the day with him. Jeremie's mother took Aelita and Sissi out to get their hair done for the evening. They all agreed to meet at the Ishiyama's and go to the ball from there. 

That evening, Jeremie's father drove Jeremie, Odd and Ulrich over to Yumi's to rendezvous with the girls. On the way, Odd was complaining about the black tuxedo he had to wear, and why couldn't he wear a purple one? Ulrich just sat silently, and wouldn't talk when either Jeremie or his father asked what was wrong.

They arrived at the Ishiyamas about an hour and a half before they needed to leave for the Embassy. All three of the boys were surprised at the number of cars parked there.

"I think you will find many surprises inside this evening, gentlemen," Mr. Belpois said.

Ulrich knocked on the door, and was answered by Yumi's brother Hiroki.

"They're here, everybody! Man, just wait! It's like Christmas!"the boy exclaimed.

Jeremie and the others entered, and were assaulted by flashes. It seemed like five different camera flashes fired off a the same time. All the new arrivals were temporarily blinded.

When their eyes cleared, they saw what was going on. The living room was crowded with parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Ishiyama stood to one side, dressed in casual clothing. Mr. Ishiyama was the one taking the pictures for their family. Jeremie's mother was standing next to them, holding her own camera. Next to her was Principal Delmas, a seemingly uncharacteristic smile on his face. He too had a camera.

Desmond Hopper was there with his wife, Marie. Jeremie had met her for the first time that weekend at the air base. Mr. and Mrs. Della Robbia was standing next to them, their cameras at the ready. Ulrich froze when he saw the last couple, his parents.

"Well, Ulrich, you do seem to be moving up in the world," said his father, smiling.

Mr. Stern seemed to project a sense of largeness about him. He was on the tall side, and trim. He had a big smile on his face that seemed friendly. When Jeremie shook his hand though, he had the sudden urge afterwards to go and wash them.

Ulrich's mother was quieter, almost to the point of being invisible. When they had been at the air base a few weeks back, she had always kept to herself, that is until Ulrich introduced her to Yumi and her parents. Tonight, she was the shy woman again, holding her camera, ready to take pictures again.

"Dad, I heard you were in town. How did you know about tonight?" Ulrich asked.

"Well son, for one thing, your mother and I have been invited, too," he replied, "another thing is the Ishiyamas have been setting up this little get-together ever since they found out you kids were going. It seems like she has got the idea in her head that it would be a good idea for all of us to get to know one another and keep in contact. Thinking about it, I think it's a good idea too. We really haven't been staying in touch with you as much as we should, and it's time that changed."

While saying that, Mr. Stern put his hand on Ulrich's shoulder. For a moment, Ulrich almost looked like he was going to shake it off, but didn't. Jeremie and Odd both noticed Ulrich's face as he looked at his father. It was not a look of love or even like.

"I thought you told me Ulrich loved his parents," Jeremie whispered to Odd.

"I thought he did too," Odd replied, "I know he loves his mom, and always tried to impress his dad with his soccer abilities, since he couldn't do with is grades. I had always thought he was trying to earn his respect. Now I'm not so sure."

"Yet another problem to ponder," Jeremie said.

Mr. Ishiyama then called for everybody's attention.

"Thank you all for coming," he began, "from what my wife tells me, there will be a car from the Embassy arriving here soon to take the children to the Ball."

Jeremie, Odd and Ulrich were surprised by that news.

"Surprise number two," said Jeremie's father.

"Three," said Ulrich.

"Since everyone is here to see the ladies, we will not keep you waiting anymore," Mr. Ishiyama said, "Yumi! It's time!"

A door opened upstairs, and there was movement. Then, a figure appeared at the top of the stairs. It was Yumi.

She was wearing the formal kimono she got in Japan last summer. It started out as a very light blue, almost turquoise in color, and darkened to almost blue-black at her shoulders. In the darker parts of the kimono, small golden stitches had been added to make the pattern look like the evening sky. The obi she wore around her waist was green, and made her look like she was the picture of a lake shore in the evening.

Ulrich smiled as she came down the steps, his troubles erased for the moment, remembering another time when she wore a kimono for him. The smile diminished some when he saw the fans in her sash. Yumi had showed them to Ulrich soon after she received them, and knew they weren't ordinary fans, but tessen fans. The ribs weren't made of wood, but iron. He was surprised she would even consider taking them this evening, and nervous at why she thought it was a good idea.

A few seconds after Yumi came downstairs, another figure appeared at the top of the steps. It was Sissi.

She was dressed in a black, strapless, gown that perfectly defined her figure. Though she was young, the dress clearly indicated that the beautiful woman was encased within was only a short time away from being fully matured.

Tonight, she wasn't wearing a headband in her hair. Her hair flowed down onto her shoulders, perfectly framing her face. Around her neck were pearls; her father gave them to her especially for this evening. They had once adorned her mother.

Odd's brain was vapor-locked by the very sight of Sissi. She walked up to him, a smile on her face that said 'mission accomplished,' and gave him a small kiss on the cheek to snap him back to reality. Both Jeremie and Ulrich were stunned by what they saw. It was like this was the first time they had ever seen Sissi Delmas.

Then Aelita appeared at the top of the steps.

She too was wearing a gown that displayed the potential woman soon to arrive. The dress was pearlescent white, with pink undertones. The dress didn't even look like it was made of cloth, it looked more like it had been somehow been made from mother-of-pearl and poured over Aelita, perfectly conforming to her. It had a halter collar, and when she turned, you saw that the back plunged down to just above her hips. She wore a small pendant with a pink topaz hanging from the chain, something Jeremie only saw his mother wear once, and that was in a wedding photograph of her and his father.

He was mesmerized by her as she walked down the steps. She told him her dress would knock his eyeballs out, and she was right. She was an angel after all, come down from heaven for him. His father had to give Jeremie a shake to snap him out of her spell.

"Yet another surprise," he said.

Then all of the picture taking started. First the couples separately, then together, then with their parents...

Finally came the knock at the door. Mr. Ishiyama answered it.

"I'm the driver from the Embassy. I've come to pick up a party of six."

The kids hustled to get their things, and Jeremie's parents and Ulrich's parents made their preparations to leave. There was more picture taking as the group was loaded into the limousine, shouts of 'have a good time,' and they were gone.

* * *

In the car, Jeremie asked, "Ulrich, what's up with your dad?" 

"Nothing," Ulrich replied, "I was just surprised to see him, that's all."

"Are you going to be okay?" Yumi asked him, a worried look on her face.

"Sure. Say, are you okay? Why the fans?"

"I had a dream last night," she replied, "XANA has escaped."

The driver interrupted their conversation, "we've arrived, Ladies and Gentlemen."


	15. The Ball

Warning: Rated for language, violence and references to adult behavior.

The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.

* * *

The car had pulled up to the front entrance of the United States Embassy. The driver got out, came around to the walk, and opened the door for his passengers. The ladies stepped out first, helped by the driver. They made room for their dates to join them, which they did a few seconds later. 

Once out, the gang took in their surroundings. The whole building was lit up, and there was the sound of music drifting out from the inside. Photographers were lined up all along the walkway, just waiting to snap a picture of the Great and Powerful. When they got out, the paparazzi started snapping picture after picture, just on the off chance that the children standing there were Important People.

The boys led their dates into the building, where they presented their invitations to the guard standing there, MGySgt. Taylor Thompson. He looked at each invitation, and each one of them as if he had never met them before. Then he returned the invitation, said, "welcome and have a good evening," and let them through, but not before giving each of them a quick smile and wink.

There was a minor misunderstanding when they went through the metal detectors at the entrance. Yumi's fans set off an alarm, and a Marine took her aside and waived a handheld detector over her. I buzzed when it encountered the fans, so the guard took them and examined them for a moment. He had a questioning look on his face, but they didn't seem dangerous, just a little heavy, so he returned them to the girl. The gang then entered the Embassy.

They followed the crowd of people to the Embassy's Ball Room. The huge double doors were closed, but they could hear the music being played inside. Each invitee would get to the door, give his or her invitation to the doorman standing there, who would then open the door, usher them in, and announce them.

"Presenting Miss Yumi Ishiyama and Mr. Ulrich Stern!"

"Presenting Miss Elizabeth Delmas and Mr. Odd Della Robbia!"

"Presenting Miss Aelita Hopper and Mr. Jeremie Belpois!"

They were all so overwhelmed by the moment that Sissi didn't even complain about the majordomo calling her Elizabeth.

They proceeded down the steps into the ballroom proper, coming to the Reception Line. Here, all of the US dignitaries were lined up, greeting the arriving guests. They would greet the guest, lightly shake their hand, and maybe say a quick little something if they knew the person.

The only people the kids really knew here were the Marines and Jeanie Wilkerson. Other than Taylor Thompson, none of the other Marines they knew were around.

They proceeded down the line and came to General Maxwell. He greeted Ulrich and Yumi first.

"Ms. Ishiyama, Mr.Stern, good evening. And how are the two wayward lambs?"

Both of them blushed as they replied, "fine, sir," getting a quick chuckle from the General.

"Good! Just as long as Mr. Stern is doing the team proud. You take care of each other now, and have a good time."

As they moved down the line, the couple had a confused look on their faces at Maxwell's comment, until Ulrich figured it out and blushed redder.

They finally reached the end of the line, where Ambassador Wilkerson and family stood waiting. When they got to Jeanie and Herve, she squealed in delight and gave them each a very undiplomatic hug and kiss.

"God, I'm glad you guys could make it! I was afraid for a bit that I would be stuck all alone with these stuffy old diplomats. Talk about a fate worse than death!"

Behind her, GySgt. Ann Grace and Cpl. Coffy stood and smiled. When Jeremie saw them, he got a troubled look on his face.

"Gunny Grace, you look fabulous this evening," the boy said, "and, congratulations on your engagement."

"Thanks, Jeremie," the woman replied.

Jeremie then took the woman by the arm and pulled her aside a step or two.

"Listen," he whispered, "seeing you and Sanka here just gave me a bad feeling, like I've seen you this way before. Be extra careful tonight, okay?"

"Jeremie, you would make an excellent bodyguard, did you know that?" Ann replied, smiling, "you've got a sense of paranoia that easily rivals my own. Don't worry, kid. We've got everything covered."

* * *

The evening progressed and they had a wonderful time. Jeremie and Aelita danced several times, then switched off and danced with the others, then switched off and danced with complete strangers. After a while, they drifted off into the crowd, taking in the atmosphere, and listening to the conversations around them.

Jeremie actually got involved in a conversation with General Maxwell and another General, talking about quantum physics of all things. Jeremie later found out that the other man in the conversation was the NATO SACEUR, or Supreme Allied Commander for Europe. That had been a mind blowing experience.

Aelita later told him she had a conversation with the wife of the Russian Ambassador, who seemed to have a thing for techno-pop music and young girls. Aelita quickly excused herself when she found that second fact out.

They noticed Ulrich and Yumi talking with Ulrich's mother off in a corner. Elsewhere, Jeremie noticed Ulrich's father talking to one of the caterers, then quickly walking off. That bothered Jeremie a lot.

Jeremie also noticed something odd about some of the other caterers. About eight of them seemed to have no interest in catering the event. They were looking all about them instead. That nagging feeling returned to Jeremie, and he and Aelita went to find Ann Grace.

They quickly found her, standing close to Herve and Jeanie, who were talking to some dignitaries.

"Ann, I think something's going on," he told her, "some of the caterers are acting funny."

"Jeremie, you've got to settle down. Just who do you think is acting funny?" she replied.

"Him, for one," Jeremie replied, pointing to one of the caterers close by.

Ann turned to look at the man just as he pulled out a submachine gun.

"Breach Omega!" Ann screamed into her microphone as gunfire erupted in the ball room.

"GET HER OUTTA HERE!" Ann screamed at Sanka, as she drew her pistol and shot the caterer near them dead.

Jeremie and Aelita grabbed Herve and Jeanie and ran for it, Ann and Sanka close behind.

"OUT THOSE DOORS!" Ann shouted. Jeremie saw the doors she meant and bolted for them.

The got through the doors just as bullets whizzed by their heads. Jeremie heard an _oomph!_ behind him but kept running. Then gunshots erupted in the hallway behind them, and more bullets whizzed by them.

Thinking quickly, Jeremie opened a door and thrust everyone inside. A few seconds later, they were joined by Ann Grace and Sanka Coffy. Ann was half-dragging Coffy with her. Jeanie and Herve ran over and took Coffy from Ann, and dragged him behind the only cover in the room, a large desk.

Jeremie looked about the room. He was hiding behind a desk, Aelita beside him. Jeanie and Herve were pressing their hands into Cpl. Coffy's side and chest, trying to stop the rivers of blood pouring from the wounds he had there. In front of Jeremie, protecting all of them, was GySgt. Ann Grace.

_Oh My God! My Dream!_

"Ann, be careful, my dream..." was all Jeremie could cry out before gunfire rang out again. This time, Ann was jolted by something, but she managed to raise her weapon and return fire. Outside, someone screamed and died.

Ann staggered back behind the desk, then slid down the wall, leaving a large streak of blood there.

"Dammit dammit dammit!" she said, "have you got anything to plug these wounds?"

"I... I do," said Aelita. Opening her purse, the pink-haired girl began pulling out packets and packets of sanitary napkins and tampons.

Ann smiled, "you've been hanging out with SEALs again, haven't you missy?"

Aelita blushed and replied, "something compelled me to take all this. I didn't realize why until just now."

"Well, you done good. Hand some of those pads to Herve and Jeanie. Then give me a tampon and I'll plug this hole."

Ann screamed as she pushed the tampon into the gunshot wound in her shoulder.

"Jeremie, you're going to have to defend us until help arrives. Aelita, you're going to have to move me forward and plug the exit wound."

Aelita got a sick look on her face, but did as Ann told her. Ann screamed again when Aelita moved her, and a third time when she pushed the tampon into the wound.

"Jeremie, take my gun. Jeanie, Herve, Sanka should have some clips on him. Find them and give them to Jeremie."

"Ann, I don't know if I can do this," Jeremie told the woman.

"Deep in your heart, you know you can; just remember Napoleon," she replied.

Jeremie winced when she said 'Napoleon,' gently reminding him of the price paid for his education. The boy took Ann's gun, and the clips that Jeanie handed him. Aelita watched in disbelief as Jeremie expertly cleared the round in the chamber, ejected the clip from the weapon, loaded a new clip, then racked the slide, loading a round into the chamber. He turned toward the door, crouched behind the desk, and brought the pistol to the ready.

"Jeremie, listen to me," Ann coached him, "right now, your body's pumping adrenaline into your system like soda pop, preparing you for flight or fight. You may feel like pissing or shitting your pants right now. It's natural, your body is trying to dump any excess baggage it can in case you have to run. If it happens, don't worry about it."

She continued, "when the action starts, time's gonna slow down. You'll get tunnel vision. That's normal, too. It's called hyperfocus. Don't let it overcome you completely though, you still need to be aware of your surroundings."

"When a Bad Guy comes through the door, shoot him. Don't talk with him, don't warn him, shoot his ass! Put two in his center body mass and let God handle the rest."

Just then, one of the caterers appeared in the doorway. Jeremie did exactly as he was told. He fired twice, and put both rounds in the man's chest. The man staggered back and fell, dead.

Twice more Jeremie repeated the drill Ann gave him. Twice more, Bad Guys died. After the second one, the slide of Jeremie's weapon locked back.

"Misfeed! Quick, clear the round!" was all Ann could say before a shot rang out and hit her.

"Don't move, little boy." said the Bad Guy standing in the door way.

Jeremie looked at the man and recognized him.

It was the Demon.

* * *

To Be Concluded... 


	16. Bullets Flying My Way

Warning: Rated for language, violence and references to adult behavior.

The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.

* * *

The Demon regarded his prey.

"You caused me no small amount of trouble, boy," the man said, "here I was hoping to kidnap the Ambassador's little bitch and make the United States tremble as I stripped the dignity and life from her. But your interference has changed that. Now, I can only kill her, as well as you."

"My Master wanted much more," the man continued, "he wanted chaos, he wanted terror. He wanted hatred and distrust to grow, so he could destroy and conquer. But now, he will just have to settle for your deaths."

Then the man did something strange. He shuddered as a dark mass settled over him. He closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them. Jeremie's eyes went wide with what he saw; the man had been possessed by...

"XANA!"

"Yes, Jeremie Belpois," XANA said through the man's voice, "it has been a short time for you, but an eternity for me. Torturing and killing Jeanie Wilkerson would have given me much pleasurable feedback, and would have progressed my plans, but your deaths are suitable compensation. Greetings to you, Aelita. How is your father doing?"

"Crazy as a bedbug, thanks to you!" Aelita spat back.

"His own hubris was his downfall," XANA replied, "my only regret is that this will be over too quickly. Now that I have you, I want to enjoy you, get pleasurable feedback from your agony and despair, like my Master taught me."

The XANA possessed man cocked his head at the sounds from elsewhere in the Embassy.

"I wanted to take my time with you, but that's not possible now. You have thwarted me for the last time, Jeremie Belpois, and now this is the price you pay for your deeds!"

XANA raised the submachine gun to the man's shoulder and took aim. All they could do is look and say their final prayers.

Suddenly, there was a _thunk!_ and something rolled down the hallway. Then there was a tremendous explosion that knocked the XANA possessed man off his feet. The force of the blast rebounded into the office, knocking everybody down.

Immediately behind the blast was a flurry of movement. A submachine gun fired a few rounds but was met by a hailstorm of return fire. A group of shapes ran by the office, then six shapes entered the room, submachine guns brandished.

"United States Marines! Everybody Down! Don't move!"

The Marines quickly surrounded the group there, pulling Jeanie, Herve, Aelita and Jeremie away from Sanka and Ann, forcing them to the ground.

After a second or two, the men let them up. Jeremie was finally getting a good look at the men, and recognized one as Cpl. Pyle.

One of the other Marines was speaking into a mike, "we've got 'Princess' secured, along with her friends. We need a Corpsman down here ASAP, we've got two wounded!"

* * *

When the situation was finally under control, Jeremie, Aelita and the rest of the gang were taken to MGySgt. Thompson's office. Once the danger had past, Jeremie proceeded to vomit everything he ate and drank that evening. He vomited and shook for something like ten minutes before he was reduced to the dry heaves. The Corpsmen wanted to take him to the Infirmary but Jeremie said no. The Corpsman insisted he at least wrap a blanket around him to conserve body heat and counteract the shock that was setting in, and let him go with MGySgt. Thompson's promise to watch over him. Jeremie sat on one of the couches in Taylor's office, still shivering, Aelita sitting close by, holding him.

Also there was Odd and Sissi, Ulrich and Yumi. Jeremie's father was there, along with the Ambassador, Jeanie and Herve.

Master Gunnery Sargent Thompson was there, too, but not sitting at his desk. That place had been taken by General Maxwell.

"God Almighty, Allen! How could this have happened?" Ambassador Michael Willkerson asked his general.

"I have no idea, sir; I've got people looking into it right now," General Maxwell replied.

"Sir, from what GySgt. Grace was able to tell me before they medivaced her, it was young Mr. Belpois over there that tipped her off to the trouble," MGySgt. Thompson said.

"Young man, how did you know what was going down?" General Maxwell asked.

"I... I dreamed about it, sir," was the boy's reply. The General snorted at the response.

"Was anyone able to ID any of the perps?" General Maxwell next asked.

"No sir, not yet," was Thompson's reply, "all these guys passed a routine security check before they were even allowed in. If they are tied to anything unrighteous, it's buried deep. We may never know."

"And just who was this Zanna character you were talking to," Jeanie asked, "the way he was talking, he was the ringleader of this whole thing. And he seemed to know you personally, Jeremie."

"Is that true?" asked MGySgt. Thompson turning to Jeremie, a hard look on his face, "Jeremie, I told you once that if bullets started flying my way because of your 'game,' we would revisit a certain subject, and I would have to insist on some answers. I think you had better answer Jeanie's question right now."

Jeremie was silent for a moment, then said, "Oh, God, I never wanted it to come to this. Okay, I'll tell you everything I know, but you won't believe me. We will need to go somewhere so I can attempt to verify what I say is true. If you would, Master Guns, would you take me there?"

"The old factory, you mean? All right, Jeremie, but we are _all_ going," Taylor told the boy. He went to his desk and picked up the phone and had a truck brought to the front. "General, I think it would be best if the Ambassador and party remained here. I'll have some Marines accompany us, just in case. Mike, you had better come along too; it seems your son has a whale of a sea story to tell."

* * *

Jeremie sat in the cab of the truck, called a 'deuce-and-a-half,' wedged between the driver and MGySgt. Thompson. General Maxwell, Jeremie's father, and the rest of the gang were in the back of the truck under the watchful eyes of six armed Marines.

Jeremie tried to make a phone call to Desmond Hopper, Aelita's uncle and the school's attorney, but the General wouldn't allow it.

"You don't need a lawyer yet, son," was his response, "and if things get bad enough, a lawyer won't help."

The truck pulled up to the old factory, and Jeremie, the driver and MGySgt. Thompson got out.

"I couldn't convince you to come in with me alone, could I," Jeremie asked.

"Not a chance in Hell," was the response.

The others got out of the back, and they went inside. They went down a staircase to the main level, and Jeremie called the elevator.

"Grace and Pyle got this far, then ran into your security," Taylor said as the elevator descended.

Jeremie did something to the elevator controls and a keypad appeared. He keyed in a number, then the elevator descended a little farther, to stop in front of a door like a bank vault. The big door then opened, revealing the room behind it.

Jeremie entered the room and went over to the console where he usually sat. He sat, then began typing at the console's keyboard when MGySgt. Thompson drew his sidearm and said, "take your hands off that keyboard right now, Jeremie. Just because you're the son of an old friend doesn't mean I won't blow your damn head off if I think you're doing something funny."

Jeremie pressed one last key, then turned and looked at his friend.

"It's too late. Return To The Past Now."


	17. Revisiting The Subject

Warning: Rated for language, violence and references to adult behavior.

The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.

* * *

It was earlier Saturday evening, and the boys hadn't left for the Ishiyama's yet. Jeremie quickly pulled out his cell phone and called Mrs. Ishiyama. He told her about what had just happened and the Return To The Past he had to do, and that everything was alright. This was the first time she had ever been thrown back in time by the RTTP, and it unnerved her when she suddenly found herself hours in the past.

The next call he made was to Desmond Hopper, telling him the same thing. He too had never experienced a RTTP, and Jeremie's call settled him down.

The last call Jeremie made was to MGySgt. Thompson.

"Master Guns, you need to keep a close eye on the catering staff," Jeremie said without preamble, "some of them are terrorists, and they want to kidnap and murder Jeanie."

"Jeremie, you're letting your imagination run wild!" the Master Gunnery Sargent replied, "the biggest problem the caterers have right now is eight of them didn't show up for work tonight! The Head Chef is fit to be tied because of it. Just come on by, have a good time, and don't be so uptight."

Jeremie then said, "you once said that if bullets started flying your way because of my game, we would revisit the subject of the old factory, and you would be insisting on answers. Well, you don't remember it, but bullets did fly your way because of my game, and Ann and Sanka got seriously wounded as a result. I've told you once already that I would tell you everything I know, and I intend on keeping that promise. I want you to arrange for you and Ann and my father to get a way for a while, so I can do just that."

"Jeremie, I think your crazier than a shithouse rat," came the response after a moment, "but okay. As soon as you get here, I'll hear you out."

* * *

While the rest of the gang stayed at the Ball, enjoying themselves and keeping an eye out for trouble, Jeremie and Aelita took Jeremie's father, MGySgt. Thompson and GySgt. Grace to the old factory. Since the gunfight had never happened, Ann was in perfect health, if not more than a little confused.

Jeremie took them down to the computer lab, where they had been hours from now in a different time stream.

"This is our secret," Jeremie began, "twelve or so years ago, a man by the name of Franz Hopper built this computer, a quantum computer..."

He told them the whole story, about Lyoko, XANA, Aelita, Franz Hopper, the supercomputer, everything.

After Jeremie had finished, Taylor said, "and you're telling me that I've already seen this? We've already been here once?"

"Yes and No," Jeremie replied, "the last time, there were people here I didn't want to know, and people not here that I wanted to know. I launched the Return To The Past to get me out of a sticky situation. In fact, you were pointing a gun at my head when I did it."

"Jeremie," his father said, "what is to stop any of us from pulling the plug on this whole mess? From what you said, this Franz Hopper is the only person here. All we need do is power down this computer, and it would be done."

"You're wrong, dad," Jeremie replied, "shutting down the computer won't destroy XANA. This computer and this place may be the only thing in the world that can ultimately defeat and destroy it."

"Another thing, could you honestly do that? Turn it off while Aelita and Desmond watched?"

Michael Belpois looked for a moment at Aelita, then back at his son.

"Yes, Jeremie, I would in a heartbeat," his father replied, "I will do whatever it takes to protect my family, and I would not lose a wink of sleep at night after doing so. I would do it, even if it earned me your hatred, for you must be alive in order to hate me."

Jeremie stared at his father for a moment, as if he were seeing the man who was his father for the first time. The man who stood before him meant every word he had just said. He would do _anything_ to protect those he loved, whatever the consequences. Michael Belpois returned his son's stare with a composed look.

"Then help me, father," Jeremie said at last, "for something pursues me and will not stop until it has killed me, my friends, and everybody else on Earth. It can't be bargained with, convinced to quit, or tire out. It will keep coming until it has killed us all, and it will take special delight in killing Aelita and me."

"Jeremie," Ann Grace said, "what's to prevent us from going back to General Maxwell and coming back with a platoon? I'm willing to bet that we could get all of this equipment out in a day."

"I'm at your mercy," Jeremie replied, "I really can't stop any of you from doing anything. I can only pray that you care enough for me to help me."

"It could be argued that taking this computer away would be helping you," Taylor said.

"Then do it," Aelita suddenly said, "do it. End all of this. Almost a year ago, I shut the thing off myself, knowing that doing so would kill me. If I had succeeded, XANA would have been destroyed then and none of this would have happened! Go ahead, turn it off and see what happens! Maybe we all will live long lives before being slaughtered. And that is exactly what will happen, Mr. Thompson, Ms. Grace, Mr. Belpois. XANA got a taste for cruelty after it escaped, and wants to feed it. You may not care about us, but what about Jeanie Wilkerson? XANA's minions were going to kidnap, torture and murder her, not just to stir up tensions in the world, but for 'pleasurable feedback!' Maybe next time, they will succeed. Maybe next time, it will be someone close to any one of you."

"What do you want from us?" Taylor finally said.

"Your silence," Jeremie replied, "and your help. XANA seems to be using people almost exclusively now. We may be attacked in ways we as kids can't even imagine or understand, let alone defend against, just because we don't know how the world works. You do. There may be times when we will need the knowledge and wisdom you have accumulated in order to help us out."

"That's the first sensible thing you've said tonight," Ann told the boy.

"Alright, Jeremie," Taylor said, "but know this: I am a United States Marine, sworn to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, and I will not violate that oath just because you told me a scary story. If this little 'game' of yours ever threatens my country, I _will_ end it, full stop, period."

"I can safely echo my fiancé's promise," Ann added.

"I can live with that," Jeremie said.

"I will make no such promise," Jeremie's father said, "I will allow this to continue only because I cannot think of a way to protect you without this equipment. If I ever find a way, however, you will know it when this building explodes."

"Dad, just keep in mind the supercomputer is powered by weapons-grade nuclear material," Jeremie replied.


	18. Operation Kadic

Warning: Rated for language, violence and references to adult behavior.

The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.

* * *

A somewhat uneasy truce was formed that night. Taylor and Ann would help Jeremie and his friends as long as doing so didn't violate their oaths as soldiers. Jeremie's dad didn't agree to anything, but wouldn't take any kind of action on what he did know. All of the adults agreed that they would provide, within limits, any information they could to help the gang when XANA next attacked. 

Jeremie, in return, agreed to supply as much information on XANA as he could, so the intelligence agencies of the world would be on the lookout for suspicious activity.

"Where should I send it?" he asked Taylor after he put the data together.

"Give it to me and I'll turn it over to Navy Intelligence," was the reply.

"Oh, then how 'bout this?" Jeremie said as he was typing.

Suddenly a window popped up, 'NAVINT login:'. Seconds later, a command prompt came up. Taylor Thompson took a step back and drew his sidearm.

"Don't so much as twitch, Jeremie!" he said.

"What? What's wrong, Master Guns?" Jeremie asked as he complied.

"You just broke into Naval Intelligence's main system," was the reply, "it's not even on MILNET and you just waltzed in and logged on."

"So?"

"So! For one thing, it's illegal! For another thing, it should have been impossible! How long have you been accessing this site?"

"This is my first time."

"Don't bullshit me, kid, how long?"

"I swear, this is the first time. I just typed in, 'US Navy Intelligence' and this is what I got."

Taylor Thompson was silent for a moment, then lowered his pistol. "Try something for me, Jeremie," he said, "try accessing Chinese Intelligence."

"Okay." Jeremie typed something on the keyboard, then another window opened up, with Chinese ideographs on the display. A second later, a pop up window displayed the translation of the characters in French.

"Holy Mother of..." Ann said, "is that what I think it is? Tay, years ago, I heard about a project at NSA, some kind of system to intercept and disrupt communications networks. Now, when I heard it, it was more along the lines of an 'urban legend' in the spook community, but I heard it could break any crypto, compromise any communications technology we could think of. Then, poof! It disappeared. Story goes the installation it was housed in got blown up, and nobody ever found out how. And here's the best part; supposedly, we lifted the tech from _France_."

While Ann had been talking, Jeremie had been typing. He could see where this conversation was quickly going to lead, and he had to do something. He needed their help, he knew it in his heart, but he couldn't afford to lose the supercomputer.

"If that's the case, Ann," Taylor had just said, "then that platoon might just be called for."

"Please don't," Jeremie said. The two Americans gave him a _yeah right_ look. He continued, "if you help me, I'll see to it that you have unlimited access to whatever information the supercomputer can find, no matter what the subject."

"Jeremie, if we yank this equipment out of here, we can get that," Taylor said, pulling out his cell phone.

"Yes, you could. But if anything happens to the supercomputer, the last thing it will do is disrupt all military and intelligence communications all over the world. Franz Hopper built this thing to destroy something called Carthage, which was a system to disrupt enemy communications, and that may have been the tech the US stole. Carthage was destroyed, and so was your system. Very likely, it was done right here. You saw how easy it was for me to access your systems, and I didn't know what I was doing. I just input instructions into the computer to do exactly what I just said if it is ever powered down. You may think you can shut it off before it can carry out its instructions, but do you want to take the chance?"

After a moment, Taylor said, "Jeremie, are you _sure_ you need our help? You seem to be doing fine all by yourself."

"Yes, I do," was the reply, "look, I don't mean the United States any harm. As a matter of fact, what I'm trying to do will only help the US. I just offered you what any spy on earth truly wants, complete and total access to their opponent's computer and communications systems, and all I'm asking for your help and your silence. Is that too much to ask?"

"Alright," MGySgt. Taylor Thompson said after a moment, "on behalf of the United States of America, which means absolutely nothing coming from me, I accept your offer. And, come to think of it, I think I can help you in another way..."

That evening, the night of the US Embassy Ball in Paris, France, a new Organization was born. Jeremie, under the guidance of both Taylor Thompson and Ann Grace, navigated the mazes of the US Intelligence bureaucracy to create a new operation. When asked for a code word for it, Jeremie entered 'Kadic'.

Operation Kadic was a code-word level, eyes-only intelligence and direct action operation, tasked with gathering intelligence on terrorists known only as 'followers of XANA' and conducting operations to disrupt and destroy these cells when found.

Jeremie then went further, and entered the same operation in the intelligence systems of France, every member of the European Union, NATO, and almost every civilized country in the world, even those the US considered enemies.

All communications would be handled by an organization called 'The Kadic Group.' All budgets for the operations were hidden in rivers of very black ink, so far off the books you couldn't even see the library.

When he had finished, the group returned to the Embassy for the Ball.

* * *

The Ball was much more enjoyable the second time around. With no terrorists to worry about, the kids were able to relax and truly have fun.

Afterwards, Aelita spent the night and the rest of the weekend with her aunt and uncle, Jeremie with his parents. That way, they wouldn't add any logistical difficulties to their friends assignations.

Sunday afternoon, the Belpois family visited the Hopper family. While the women sat in the kitchen and gossiped about the evening, the men sat in the living room and discussed what happened at the factory.

"So, Michael, it seems your son has grown up to become a spymaster," Desmond said.

"I think what my son has done was to get himself entangled in something way over his head," Jeremie's father replied.

"Dad, that happened the day I first met Aelita," Jeremie piped in. Both adults laughed.

"Seriously, what are you going to do?" Desmond then said, "very soon now, information is going to start coming to this 'Kadic Group.' And some of that information may be more of a 'what am I supposed to do' than a 'this is what's happening.'"

"I don't know," the genius replied, "the ramifications of last night are just now settling in. I was hoping you could help."

"Jeremie, there is not a lot I can do for you right now," Desmond replied, "I certainly can't sit around all day waiting for the phone to ring or an email to appear for this 'Kadic Group,' I have clients that depend on my services, and I will not forsake them."

"Dad, can you help?" Jeremie asked.

"Not in that way. Remember, I think that computer should be destroyed."

"Well, I know one thing I need help with is setting up The Kadic Group. Things like bank accounts, offices, that sort of thing," the boy said.

"Jeremie, to do that, you will need money, and a lot of it," Desmond said.

"And, I'm not raising your allowance to cover it," his dad said with a smile.

"That's the funny part," Jeremie said, "money is not a problem. I got an email this morning stating that twenty-five million dollars US was available and where should they send it."

Both men stared dumbfounded at the boy.

"You didn't reply to that, did you?" his father asked.

"No, of course not," his son replied, "I don't know what to tell them yet."

"This could be very serious," Desmond said, "you could be tried and convicted of theft or misuse of government funds if you're not careful."

"That's what I was talking about," Jeremie said, "I'm not wanting to go out and buy a James Bond car, or vacations to the Riviera or anything like that. I didn't even know money was going to be involved. All I wanted to do was make sure that information about XANA and its followers to get out to people who could do something about it."

"Gentlemen, would you please come with me," Desmond finally said after thinking a moment. Jeremie and his father got up and accompanied the attorney to his study. When they all were there, Desmond shut the door.

"Jeremie, I am now officially on the clock. When money becomes involved in anything, especially this much money, you need an attorney," Desmond said, "also, given that we are talking about espionage, you will need a way to deflect any inquiries from you, your family and friends. That will be much harder, but not impossible. It's a good thing that you haven't responded to the email you received; we have the time to either call the whole thing off somehow or make preparations."

"As far as I know," Jeremie said, "we don't need that much money. It's just a matter of making sure information gets from one place to another."

"And who will do that, you? Will you quit school to do this?" Desmond asked.

"No, he will not," replied his father.

"Of course not. You need someone else to do this. Getting that someone will mean paying them. Not only paying them, but meeting all of the laws an employer must meet to remain in business," Desmond said.

"I will begin drawing up papers," he said after a moment, "the first thing I want to do is set up a trust, for you and whoever else you think needs to be included. You are not yet of legal age to do the things that must be done, but a trustee can. We can use the trust to set up this Kadic Group you need, and get the people necessary to make it work. I will also contact a friend of mine who is an accountant. He will assist in setting the necessary bank accounts and record books that this organization will need. I will be billing the trust and the Kadic Group at my normal rate, plus I expect a retainer. My accountant friend will more than likely want the same thing. I recommend you accept both our offers; both he and I are the best in our fields in Paris. I will explain everything I am doing at each step in the process, as will my friend. Jeremie, you are about to get a crash course on how the world really works."

The boy's eyes were almost glazed over by what was just said. Jeremie thought that if he ever died young, it would be because of XANA. Now, it looked like he would drown in red tape.

He looked at his father. Michael Belpois was returning his gaze, a small smile on his face. "You said you wanted help with things in the world you didn't understand," he said, "well, here it is, the things you don't understand and the help. Are you ready?"

His father's last remark wasn't a question, but a challenge. The last time Jeremie heard such a challenge was when MGySgt. Taylor Nathan Thompson asked him all those months ago, _what I want to know is, Jeremie, do you want to change that?_

Jeremie Belpois looked at the two men, his two new teachers, his new partners in his fight.

"Yes, I am."

* * *

But wait, there's a little more... 


	19. Epilogue: My Master

Warning: Rated for language, violence and references to adult behavior.

The main characters of this story are based on characters from the cartoon 'Code Lyoko.' I do not own, nor do I claim, any copyright to these characters.

* * *

He sat at the hotel's bar, nursing a drink. His wife had gone upstairs to their room for the evening.

He had hoped to meet his contact during the Ball at the Embassy last night, but never saw him. He later overheard some of the staff saying that eight of the caterers never showed up for work.

_I hope I haven't blown my opportunity with these people,_ he thought to himself, when he was interrupted.

"Mr. Stern, I believe?"

Mr. Stern turned around and saw the first man he met, the one who originally interviewed him.

"Oh hi!" he said in greeting, "I tried to contact your friend at the Embassy last night, but he was nowhere to be found."

"That's okay, Mr. Stern," the other man told him, "he ran into a bit of bad luck, and will no longer be part of our organization. But you and I need to talk. Come with me please."

The two men left the hotel and proceeded to walk down the street. They walked a ways until they came to an alley way. Both men entered the alley, walked further in, then stopped.

"Mr. Stern, my Master has returned from his journey and is anxious to meet you in person," the man said.

"Well, I'm ready to meet him too," Mr. Stern replied, "as a matter of fact, I've been looking forward to meeting him ever since we last spoke."

"Good," the man replied, "I won't keep you waiting any more."

With that, an oily black cloud issued from the man and enveloped Mr. Stern. He seized up and shuddered for a moment, while the cloud performed its operation on him. After a moment, part of the cloud broke off and entered Mr. Stern's body, the rest retreating back into the first man. The two possessed men then looked at each other.

"Welcome to the organization, Mr. Stern," the man said, "we have high hopes for you."

"Thank you, my Master."


End file.
